Earth-717: Captain America Volume 2
by Over9000Pylons
Summary: An alternate time. An alternate world. Despite saving the world alongside the Avengers, Steve Rogers still feels like a man out of time. While he has found new work with SHIELD, and maybe even a new love, the shock of losing his old life continues to haunt him. However, the arrival of an enigmatic and vicious new enemy soon forces Steve to pick up the shield once again.
1. Peggy Carter

Earth-717: Captain America Vol 2

Chapter 1: Peggy Carter

A lone woman was waiting in a meeting room on the SHIELD helicarrier, staring out the window. She had shoulder length blonde hair, a fit build and a stern glare. She was wearing a black jacket and light grey pants. For several minutes, she stood in silence, with her arms folded. She was looking out at the New York skyline.

She had been called in for a consultation with Nick Fury, director of SHIELD. She was not exactly sure why he had asked for her, given that she had just finished a previous assignment halfway across the globe that had been given to her by Maria Hill. She could only guess as to why Fury wanted to see her directly, but she figured she would learn soon enough.

Exhaling, the woman looked down at the New York harbour. The helicarrier was hovering over the water, several hundred metres away from the city. From here, she could see construction crews making repairs to various buildings and roads that were near the water. They had been damaged by the arrival of a Pariah that attacked during the Skrull occupation of Earth.

The Pariah had been destroyed by a team of heroes that would later be known as the Avengers. Turning her gaze only slightly, she could then see the Baxter Building, which was known around the world as the headquarters of the Fantastic Four. New York was filled with reminders of the rise of superheroes and metahumans, and how much the world had changed in the last few years.

As she stared out at the city, she heard the sound of footsteps heading towards the door. She turned around as Fury stepped into the room. He put his hands behind his back.

"Agent Carter."

"Director."

Fury looked over his shoulder. He made sure the door was closed before walking closer to Sharon. He took a moment to himself before he continued. Sharon tried to get a read on him, but she wasn't quite sure what he was going to say.

"You asked for a private meeting?"

"I have a new mission for you."

"Which is?"

Fury sighed.

"Sir," said Sharon. "What's going on? You've never given me a mission directly, in private. I know you have your hands full with other things. What's this about?"

Fury looked down for a moment. He then turned his eye back up to meet Sharon's.

"It involves your grandmother."

The lines of Sharon's face immediately hardened, which was exactly what Fury was expecting.

"Are you serious?" she asked. "Her?!"

"Sharon, please . . . ."

Sharon shook her head.

"Just hear me out," he said.

Sharon folded her arms.

"I don't need you to do anything drastic," said Fury. "Her health, it's been . . . . not good. She's our last founder, and you're . . . . you know you're the only one she has left. This might be your only chance to see her."

Sharon looked at Fury as if she had just been betrayed.

"I don't want to see her. You know that."

"Sharon . . . ."

Sharon's eyes started to go red as she interrupted Fury.

"If this is all you wanted to tell me . . . ."

"That's not it," said Fury, who continued to stay calm. "I wanted you to know that, but that's not the mission. It involves your grandmother because . . . . because we're finally sending Rogers to see her. He's waited long enough, and so has she."

Sharon shook her head.

"I still don't see what that has to do with me."

"Rogers wants to serve. So I'm assigning you as his partner."

Sharon gulped. Fury waited as she took a few seconds to process the information. She sighed and glanced away for a moment before looking back at him.

"I just have one question, sir."

"Which is?"

"Why me?"

"Because he needs something familiar. Something to prove to him that the world isn't completely different. You're not your grandmother. But you can show him that his world's not gone. He helped with the Skrulls, sure, but he's been having difficulty processing everything. We need him at his best, and I need you to help him get there."

For a couple minutes, Sharon was silent. Fury patiently waited for her response. When she was ready, she nodded at him.

"I'll get it done, sir."

* * *

Coulson held the door open as Steve stepped out of the van. He adjusted his tie and looked down at his suit, still feeling like he wasn't quite ready. He then looked up at the building in front of him. While he had been told that he was visiting a retirement home, the building before him looked more like a grand hotel.

After Steve stared at the building for a moment too long, Coulson tapped his shoulder.

"Sorry," said Steve.

"You ready for this?" asked Coulson.

Steve looked forward.

"Not sure if you can really prepare for something like this."

"Says the guy who's already travelled across the galaxy."

Coulson smirked. Steve stayed silent.

"She's waiting for you," said Coulson. "Figure she's waited long enough, don't you?"

Steve nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Phil."

Steve then walked towards the entrance. As he walked away, Coulson looked back at the driver of the van and gave him a goofy grin.

"He called me Phil."

Steve walked through the double doors and into the lobby. The entire place had a lavish decor, and Steve noted to himself that SHIELD must have spared no expense when it came to taking care of their last surviving founder. A woman in a business uniform was standing in the lobby, holding her hands together. She smiled at Steve as he approached.

"Steven Rogers?"

"Uh, yes."

"Director Fury called ahead. I made sure she was prepared for a visitor. If you're ready, follow me right this way, please."

The woman led Steve down one of the many hallways. She did not look back at him as she strolled along. Steve lost track of how many doors they walked past. Eventually, the woman arrived at a door with the number 202 labelled on it. She pulled out a small keycard and placed it into a metal slot that was positioned under the door handle.

After she pulled the keycard back out, the lock mechanism sounded. Steve watched as she grasped the handle and turned it, opening the door. She then turned back to him and gestured for him to enter the room.

"Thank you," said Steve.

"Take as long as you need. I'll be right outside if you need anything."

Steve smiled at the woman before stepping into the room. After she closed the door behind him, Steve ran his hand down the front of his suit. He could not yet see the bed, but he could tell that he was now inside of a luxurious suite, complete with expensive furniture and plenty of memorabilia. There was a full bookshelf, and many pictures and trinkets placed on the walls and desktops.

He knew that she was only a couple steps away, but suddenly, Steve found himself unable to move. He thought about the last time he had seen her, which was seventy years ago, when the Howling Commandos had attacked the Red Skull's base in the Arctic. It was the final moment they spent together before his world was stolen from him forever.

 _"Steve . . . ."_

 _"We . . . . we did it."_

 _"Yeah . . . . we did."_

Steve felt a breath get caught in his throat.

 _"It's over."_

 _"No. Not yet."_

As Steve got lost in the memory, a familiar voice that he never thought he would hear again brought him back to the present.

"Is someone there?"

He couldn't believe it. It was really her.

Steve stepped forward, and walked into view of the bed. He looked towards it and saw Peggy. She was lying under a blanket, with multiple pillows beneath her head. Her skin was wrinkled and her hair was grey. Her bones were weak and her body was frail. But once Steve looked into her eyes, he knew that he was finally reunited with the woman he fell in love with all those years ago.

"Steve?"

Steve smiled as his eyes watered.

"Hey, Peggy."

"It's . . . . it's . . . ."

Peggy started to breathe faster, seemingly unable to properly put her thoughts into words. Steve stepped closer, walking up to the side of her bed. He took a wooden chair that was placed near the nightstand and moved it so that he could sit right next to her. Every few seconds, Peggy's eyes lit up all over again.

She was completely spellbound, knowing that she was finally reunited with the man she fell in love with all those years ago.

"You're alive?"

Peggy then reached out with her left hand. She was shaking the entire time. She was only centimetres away from touching Steve's face before she stopped herself. Steve waited patiently, allowing her to take things at her own pace. Gulping, Peggy then took a couple deep breaths before she finally placed her skin against his.

Steve smiled as her palm gently caressed his cheek. Peggy had never looked happier.

"It's really you. Oh god . . . . I hoped, and prayed, but never thought I'd ever . . . . never thought I'd ever see your beautiful face again."

Peggy then looked over Steve's entire body.

"I like your suit," she said. "Dressed up for this old girl, did you? I always did enjoy the sight of you in a uniform."

Suddenly, Peggy frowned. She sniffed as tears started to stream down her cheeks.

"Oh, Steve . . . . it's been so long . . . ."

Steve reached up and gently grasped Peggy's hand. He then brought it down and gave it a soft kiss. Peggy giggled.

"Kept you waiting, huh?"

"It was worth it," she said. "Seventy years I waited for you, and it was worth every second. You came back to me."

"I could never leave you behind. Who else was I gonna dance with when we got back home?"

Peggy's eyes suddenly went sullen. She then started sobbing, and held both of her hands over her face. Steve gasped as she completely broke down.

"Oh, Steve . . . . I'm so sorry . . . ."

"Sorry for what?"

Peggy lowered her hands and glanced at the nightstand. He then looked over at it, and saw a family photo inside of a silver metal picture frame. It showed Peggy standing next to a man Steve did not recognize, along with two children, a boy and a girl. They looked to be around six years of age. They were all standing together on a pier, with the Statue of Liberty visible in the background.

The man had his arm around Peggy's shoulders, and she was leaning towards him.

They were both smiling. They were both happy.

Steve looked back at Peggy, who seemed utterly ashamed.

"I waited for you, Steve. But life . . . . happened. I'm sorry."

Steve reached forward and grabbed both of Peggy's hands.

"Peggy, please. You have nothing to be sorry for. I would never have wanted you to live your life holding on to the past. That's no way to live. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that you moved on. That you found happiness somewhere else."

Peggy shook her head.

"I moved on . . . . but I never stopped holding on to the past. I had a family. A life. One too many adventures. But in all that time . . . . I was never truly happy."

Steve's heart sank.

"Part of me died with you in the Arctic. A part of me I've never gotten back."

Peggy smiled again.

"Not until today."

Peggy then reached for her neck. Steve had not even noticed until now, but there was a thin, silver chain around her neck. She reached into her shirt and wrapped her hand around an object before pulling it upwards.

Steve couldn't believe his eyes as she opened her palm to show him what it was.

It was the locket.

"I made you a promise."

"Peggy . . . ."

"I promised not to open it until we both came back."

Steve cried as he looked down at the locket. It was still shut.

"And here we are," she said.

After seventy years of waiting, Peggy finally reached for the locket's hook. She pulled it open, revealing a tiny black and white photo of Steve. It had been taken prior to him receiving the Super Soldier Serum. He had a wide, dorky grin on his face. Peggy warmly smiled.

"You always knew how to charm a girl," she said.

Steve chuckled.

"Never worked on anyone but you."

"Steve . . . . I want you to make me a promise now."

"Anything."

Peggy paused for a moment. She started to cry again as she spoke.

"I held on to the past, Steve. I have regrets. I've done things that I will never forgive myself for. Please, Steve . . . . if you truly love me the way I always loved you, please don't make the same mistake. My time has come and gone. While I always wished I could have shared my life with you, it's simply something that wasn't meant to be."

Steve closed his eyes and looked down for a moment.

"Live your life. Don't hold on to the world we knew. That world is gone, and it's never coming back. That's the mistake I made. This world, the one that's here and now . . . . it's the only one we have. It's a good world, Steve. It's the one we have because of you. Go out there, and see it for yourself. See the gift you've given us all. And please, my darling . . . . promise me that you'll find love again. No matter how long it takes."

Steve stared into Peggy's eyes.

"I promise."

After a few moments of comfortable silence, Steve reached into his pocket.

"I guess there's just one last thing to do."

"What is it?"

Steve smirked. He pulled a cellphone out of his pocket.

"Been learning how to use one of these," he said. "Still can't wrap my head around how some of this stuff exists, but I've got one thing figured out."

Steve tapped a button on his phone, and a familiar song started to play.

 _"If I didn't care,_

 _More than words can say . . . ."_

Peggy gasped.

" _If I didn't care,_

 _Would I feel this way?"_

Steve reached forward, taking both of Peggy's hands. He then helped her out of the bed. While she had difficulty moving herself, he was more than strong enough to hold her up, with one hand on her back and another holding her hand. She laughed as he held her close to his chest and started to slowly dance side to side, with her feet dangling a few centimetres in the air.

 _"If I didn't care  
Would it be the same?  
Would my every prayer  
Begin and end with just your name?"_

Steve and Peggy smiled at each other as they shared their last dance. _  
"And would I be sure that this  
Is love beyond compare?  
Would all this be true  
If I didn't care for you?"_

Peggy rested her face against Steve's chest and sighed, knowing that she was happier now than she had ever been.


	2. Public Lies

Earth-717: Captain America Vol 2

Chapter 2: Public Lies

"I'm your host, Dylan Edwardson, and here, today, we have a very, very special guest to talk to us about one of the most important issues of our contemporary cultural moment. It gives me great pleasure to introduce none other than United States Senator of Alabama, Abigail Conway!"

Abigail ran her fingers through her dark blonde hair before stepping out onto the stage. The crowd applauded as she walked towards the centre of the room, where Dylan was sitting on one of two white, cushioned chairs. Abigail gave a small smile and short wave to the crowd. Dylan stood up and clapped for a few seconds before reaching out with his hand.

Abigail shook Dylan's hand before the two of them sat down.

"Thank you so much for joining us this morning," said Dylan. "I know that, given current events, a lot of people have been trying to get time with you."

"Well, I'm very happy to be here," replied Abigail. "Fan of the show, actually."

"Is that so? Excellent."

Abigail nodded.

"Well, let's dive right in to the topic of the hour," said Dylan. "It's been three months since the end of the Skrull occupation of Earth, and still the effects are being felt all around the world. Tough questions are being asked by everyone, with one of the most vocal of those people being yourself. Tell me, Senator, how do you see us moving forward as a global community after such a shocking event?"

Abigail chuckled.

"Always start off with the easiest questions, do you?"

Dylan laughed and shrugged.

"Honestly?" said Abigail. "I don't necessarily think it's just about moving forward. That insinuates that the only truth and knowledge we can obtain lies ahead of us. I believe that we need to start looking to the past for answers. Asking the real questions about why things are the way they are, how we got here, and how we can use that knowledge to do better in the future."

"Well, we know you've been asking all kinds of questions recently in Congress. Questions about the effectiveness of the new United Nations, the Avengers, and the rise of mutants and other metahumans. Some people have called you extremely combative about this particular topic. What do you say to your critics?"

"As a Senator, I think that being called combative is the best compliment I've ever received. I wasn't elected by the people of Alabama to be complacent. Twenty two million people died in five days. Five, long, horrifying days, when the entire world stopped, and no one knew if anyone was getting out alive."

Dylan put a hand on his chin as he listened.

"Everyone on Earth, at the same moment, was feeling the same thing. Powerlessness. They saw the images on television, on the internet, but no one could do a damn thing about it. Giant, metal monstrosities from another solar system descended on our planet, and we could only watch in terror as our cities fell. As the bodies piled up."

Everyone in the audience stayed utterly silent as Abigail spoke.

"I was lucky enough to not lose any family during those five days. Many people weren't as lucky as I was. But everyone felt that same fear at the same time. The knowledge that the end of the world wasn't just a possibility. It was here. We faced the apocalypse itself. We were saved, sure, but we were closer to the brink than we have ever been as a species."

Abigail glanced at the camera for a moment.

"So yes, I'm going to be combative when I ask questions about how this invasion was handled. I want to know why we weren't given any forewarning that certain heads of state were aware of alien beings before they started demolishing major population centres. I want to know why known terrorist groups like Advanced Idea Mechanics were given full pardons by the new United Nations for war crimes just because they helped for the purpose of self-preservation. I want to know why Nicholas Fury, the director of SHIELD, an organization that is supposedly dedicated to protecting the world and its people, sent some of the most powerful beings on the face of the Earth, these so-called superheroes, the Avengers, off into space when they should have been here protecting us. I want to know what Nick Fury has to say to the mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters and daughters and sons of all of the people who were killed because he assumed unilateral authority to send those heroes away when we needed them most!"

The crowd applauded again as Abigail finished her speech. After the noise died down, Dylan looked back over at her.

"Given such conviction, Senator, how do you respond to your opponents in Congress who champion SHIELD's actions, saying that the Avengers bringing back the Nova Corps and the Kree Empire saved our planet?"

Abigail let out a deep breath.

"What happened when the Avengers stopped the Skrulls was a miracle. They ought to be lauded for what they did. But it doesn't change that it was pure luck on their part. Nick Fury had no way to guarantee that either the Nova Corps or the Kree Empire would be willing to help us, or that they wouldn't just turn around and also become aggressors against our people. How can we trust this man when his first course of action when it comes to defending our planet from an alien invasion is to call upon another alien force, which we as the public know nothing about, to try and help us? To leave our defense in the hands of alien races we've never even met? This is a man who jeopardized our entire existence, potentially could have brought us even closer to extinction, and didn't even think to try and ask any of us for our opinion! Nick Fury, SHIELD and the Avengers were given far too much power in this circumstance, and that is something that needs to be mediated in the future."

"With legislation?"

"Absolutely with legislation. Only two years ago, the United Nations were discussing potential legislation regarding metahumans, which I was all for. Only, one of the sessions was interrupted when Doctor Doom tried to forcibly take over the world's governments. And he, I might add, is still the sovereign leader of a global technological superpower! Look at all of the devastation we've seen in the last few years. The rampages of the Hulk, who's now an Avenger. Magneto nearly levelling Tampa. Giant monsters in New York. We have mutants, vampires, aliens, people flying around in armoured suits, a resurrected war hero, and a Norse God from another dimension! We can't even keep track of how many things exist in our world that, only a few years ago, we never thought were possible, and people are saying we shouldn't be looking at some level of regulation?! It's completely absurd!"

Dylan nodded in approval.

"And how are you going to go about this?"

"By holding the right people responsible for their actions, in particular, Nick Fury. He's operated with almost no oversight for far too long. SHIELD lies to the public about how much they know, they have a monopoly on metahumans, and in my opinion, the entire organization needs to be put in check. I will not stand by and watch as they continue to make dangerous choices, because next time, Nick Fury's luck may just run out."

The crowed clapped once again.

"Strong words," said Dylan. "I think we can all agree that if there was ever a time for strong words, it's now. Do you have anything you'd like to say to the families of the dead, the people who you will be speaking for as you push for this regulation?"

Abigail frowned and looked at the ground for a brief moment.

"You know, my husband and I, when we had our first child, we made a choice. We decided that we were going to continue our family traditions and raise our son in a religious light. The other day, he came up to me, and he was finally ready to talk about the invasion, and everything that had happened. He told me that he doesn't believe in God anymore. He said to me, 'Mommy? There is no God. There's only monsters.'"

Abigail's eyes watered.

"He's seven years old. How am I supposed to respond to that? We supposedly have heroes in these Avengers, but he's just as terrified of them as he is of aliens. Our children deserve to live in a world where they can feel safe, and the twenty two million people who were killed deserve justice. Their families deserve justice. There will be a reckoning for the people responsible. I guarantee it."

* * *

Sharon grumbled under her breath as Dylan Edwardson finished his interview with Abigail Conway. Sharon was sitting inside of a coffee shop, and was watching the interview on a television that was attached to one of the ceiling corners. Finishing the last of her drink, she then stood up and threw the cup into the waste bin.

Putting her hands in the pockets of her jacket, Sharon started walking down the street towards the harbour. Although she had seen the damage to the city from the helicarrier, she had wanted to take her short reprieve to see everything up close. She watched as several construction crews worked tirelessly to repair all of the damage.

Keeping to herself, Sharon did not speak to anyone as she walked along the streets of New York. There were millions of people in the city, and she knew that she was just another passing face in the crowd. But as she glanced at the various pedestrians, she saw that despite carrying on with their lives, many of them seemed to have more weighing on their minds than before.

It was their eyes that gave it away.

Sharon made her way to the edge of the city, and found herself wandering into a park. In the centre of the park was the Captain America Monument, which was a ten metre tall statue of the hero that had been commissioned after the end of World War II. It was created to celebrate Steve Rogers' heroism as the man who defeated the Red Skull and saved the world from Hydra.

Sharon looked up at the statue with nothing but contempt.

A section around the statue had been cordoned off. While the crews were not currently there, the city of New York had elected to expand the monument, and transform it into a tribute to the entire team of heroes known as the Avengers. Over the next month, statues of Iron Maiden, Thor, the Hulk and Ms. Marvel were to be added, as a way of paying respect to the heroes who saved Earth from the Skrulls.

Seeing a pop can that someone had dropped on the ground, Sharon reached down and picked it up. Looking back up at the statue again, she scowled as she thought about how the entire world was told that Captain America was a hero. It was taught in history class. It was a known fact. It was part of American culture.

Sharon then threw the pop can as hard as she could. It smacked against the statue's face.

"WHY COULDN'T YOU STAY DEAD?!"

Sharon put a hand over her mouth as she realized just how loudly she had shouted. A couple nearby pedestrians looked at her in shock. Holding back her tears, Sharon then shook her head before turning around. Breathing heavily, she ran away from the park and back down the street. Quickly finding an alley, she went around the corner and placed her back against the wall.

Closing her eyes, Sharon started to cry. She put both of her hands on her face as she let all of her emotions bubble to the surface.

* * *

After parking his car in the giant garage, a man walked up the front door of his family's mansion, pulling a rolling luggage bag with him. The entire house had cost millions of dollars, but that was no issue for someone who came from such a wealthy family. Unlocking the door, he then stepped inside. By the time he closed the door behind him, he heard a familiar voice call out.

"Daddy!"

The man widely smiled as a seven year old boy ran towards him. He was quickly followed by a five year old girl. The boy jumped up into the man's arms, and he hugged his father around his neck.

"Herman!" said the man. "My son! How are you?"

"Happy you're home."

"Yes, I am very glad to be home as well."

The man then looked down at the girl and gently rubbed the top of her head.

"Papa! Papa!"

"And Hynden! My, you're growing so big, so fast! When did this happen?"

The man's question was answered by another familiar voice.

"It happened while you were out on your trip," said Abigail, as she walked into the foyer. "Your kids suddenly started growing as soon as you were gone. Now I can't stop it."

The man and Abigail shared a laugh. Still holding Herman in his arms, the man walked towards Abigail before giving her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Saw your interview on the flight in. You spoke very well."

"Thanks."

The man then placed Herman back on the ground.

"Alright, alright," he said. "I know you're both very excited, and I'll be right back. Just need to get settled in my room first. Okay?"

Both kids looked down with disappointed faces.

"Okay," they said in unison.

The man and Abigail smiled at each other again before he started walking up a nearby set of spiral stairs. Once he arrived at his room, he found that everything was exactly the way he had left it. All of his memorabilia, photos, books and other important items were in their places. Most important was his rapier, a family heirloom that was mounted on the wall.

He closed the door behind him and walked over to the desk. Lifting the luggage bag onto the bed, he then unzipped it and started to unpack his belongings. As he was organizing his clothes and other items he had taken with him on his trip, his cellphone vibrated inside of his pocket. Pulling it out, he looked at the number that was ringing. He glanced over his shoulder before answering.

"Hello?"

"Baron Zemo? I have an important message for you."


	3. Agents of SHIELD

Earth-717: Captain America Vol 2

Chapter 3: Agents of SHIELD

"In here, Captain."

Steve thanked Coulson before walking through the door. He stepped into a conference room on the SHIELD helicarrier. A lone woman was standing inside. She had shoulder length blonde hair and a fit build. She was wearing a black jacket and light grey pants. Steve looked at her with curiosity as she turned around and faced him.

She did not seem impressed.

"It's really you."

"I don't believe we've met. Steve Rogers."

He walked up to her and held out his hand. She kept her arms crossed.

"Sharon Carter."

Steve pulled his hand back.

"Carter . . . .?"

"Since you're probably about to ask, I'll just go ahead and tell you. I'm Peggy Carter's granddaughter. Agent Thirteen of the SHIELD Special Service."

"Her granddaughter? Wow. It's very nice to meet you. I had no idea that any of her family had followed in her footsteps."

Sharon glanced away for a moment.

"I didn't follow in her footsteps."

Steve frowned.

"I'm sorry about her health. I know that must be difficult for you."

"It's not. I haven't seen her for years. And I don't plan to."

"You don't . . . .? I don't understand."

Sharon glared at Steve.

"Here's what you need to understand, Rogers. You and I are not friends. Peggy and I are not on good terms. And I'm not going to explain that to you. You and I are only working together for one, single reason, and that's because Nick Fury has asked me to. I'm loyal to him, not to you. Everything that you and I do together, I'm doing for him. Not for you, and certainly not for Peggy."

Steve had to stop himself from taking a step back in shock at the ferocity of Sharon's tone.

"Is that understood?"

"Yes," said Steve. "Yes it is."

"Good."

Sharon then grabbed a datapad off of the table and looked it over as she spoke, her tone now sardonic and disinterested.

"Now that that's settled, I should tell you that I've been assigned as your partner. You and I are going to be undertaking SHIELD operations together for the foreseeable future. As of this moment, you are not directly an agent of SHIELD but rather a SHIELD special asset in the same way that Bruce Banner is."

Steve put his hands together behind his back.

"As an enhanced individual, otherwise known as a metahuman, you are being drafted by SHIELD for the purpose of trying to keep the world safe, which you allegedly say you're interested in doing, so doesn't that work out great? We've already been given our first assignment, so we best head over to Science Team's lab, where we'll be receiving a proper briefing."

Sharon then tossed the datapad back onto the table before looking back at Steve.

"That all okay with you?"

Steve weakly chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Maybe I missed something, but did I . . . . did I do something to upset you? I, I don't . . . ."

"Not everyone worships the ground you walk on, Rogers. Peggy did, but I sure as hell don't. I really don't feel like going into exactly why, but there it is. Now are we gonna get to work, or do you honestly need some validation for your ego?"

Steve took in a breath and shook his head.

"Let's go," she said.

Sharon brushed past Steve, and walked out of the room without any hint of a backwards glance. He followed after her, thinking the entire time about how he did not expect to have met two Carters with such different attitudes towards him. Sharon led him towards Science Team's lab. Sharon raised an eyebrow as she heard a crashing sound and shouting come from the other side of the door.

She stepped into the room to find Simmons with her hands in the air running around in circles and Fitz rushing towards one of the tables, which was on fire. He was holding an extinguisher.

"Here, use this!"

He tossed the extinguisher to Simmons, who tossed it right back.

"You do it!"

"Jemma!"

He tossed it back to her, and she again threw it back at him.

"Oh, fine!"

Fitz closed his eyes and activated the extinguisher, spraying foam all over the table. Because of the high pressure, he lost control of it for a moment, and got some foam on Simmons. She squealed and jumped back as Fitz looked at her in shock. He then let go of the extinguisher and tossed it on the ground as the fire died out.

Simmons spit foam out of her mouth as Fitz hurried over to her with a cloth.

"Fitz!"

"So sorry, so sorry!"

Sharon held her hands out at her sides.

"Are you two serious?!"

Fitz and Simmons both looked at Sharon in surprise, clearly having not noticed that she and Steve had walked into their lab.

"What?" the two scientists asked in unison.

"Could you two geniuses not threaten to blow up the entire helicarrier?!"

Simmons gulped.

"It was just a small fire . . . ."

"Actually Jemma, if we didn't take care of it, it might have blown up the helicarrier. Might."

"Oh. Ohhh."

Sharon let out a deep sigh.

"I'm just glad you two are okay," she said, sighing with relief. "Go on, clean yourselves up."

Fitz continued to wipe the foam off of Simmons' face. Steve chuckled under his breath and put his hands in his pockets as he watched the two scientists clean up their mess. He then looked over at Sharon and smiled behind her back, happy to see that she cared about them. After Fitz and Simmons were finished, they led Steve and Sharon to another part of the lab.

While walking past one of the equipment tables, Steve saw what looked like a large cannon. It was almost two metres long, and had a translucent blue barrel. He stopped and looked it over, having never seen a human-designed weapon quite like it. Fitz noticed and walked over to him.

"You like it, yeah? Well, don't touch. Can't have another fire."

"What is it?"

"Prototype weapon I'm designing. Call it the Incinerator Beam. Cool, right? Fires superheated plasma that glows white, it's so hot. Should burn through just about anything it touches. Well, if it worked. Was just working on the power source, making sure it actually managed to give the thing enough juice so it could . . . ."

"Fitz! We have a briefing to give!"

"Oh. Right."

Fitz and Simmons stood in front of a holographic display screen. Fitz tapped a button on a datapad, causing a map of Africa and several other data feeds to appear on the display.

"Agent Hill asked us to deliver your briefing," said Fitz. "Guess she trusts us to do these sorts of things now."

"Pretty exciting," said Simmons, before gesturing towards the display. "Less than an hour ago, we received word from one of our contacts that a member of SHIELD's Most Wanted list was confirmed sighted in Sierra Leone, specifically in Freetown. The target in question is number nine on our list, Moses Magnum."

One of the smaller data feeds moved into the centre, and expanded to show multiple images and a full dossier on Moses Magnum. He was a black man with a beige business suit.

"He was originally a citizen of Wakanda," explained Simmons. "He was apparently a very promising engineer, but was later exiled from the country when it was discovered that he was secretly selling his inventions to foreign powers. Went into business for himself as an illegal arms dealer, private military contractor, and part time international terrorist. Likes his proxy wars, that one."

"Anything for profit," said Sharon.

"Quite the resume," said Steve. "And he's only number nine on your Most Wanted list? Who's number one?"

Sharon, Fitz and Simmons all spoke at the same time.

"Doctor Doom."

"Ah," said Steve. "Right. Of course."

Fitz tapped another button on his datapad, causing the display to show several images and video clips of Freetown, before zooming in on an image that captured Magnum walking into a building. He was carrying a silver briefcase and was flanked by multiple mercenaries.

"Looks like Magnum's hired Black Spectre for protection," said Sharon.

"Who are they?" asked Steve.

"Private military company. Provides top-tier black ops soldiers for anyone who can pay. They're damn good."

Sharon smirked.

"But I'm better."

"We're not sure exactly what he's doing there, but it can't be good," said Simmons. "The last time SHIELD lost track of him, he helped an insurgency completely destabilize part of Egypt. Director Fury wants him either taken down or taken in, but he'd prefer the latter since Magnum could give us valuable intel about his business associates. Any information would be of the utmost importance."

"Then we better get moving," said Sharon.

"Oi!" said Fitz. "Before you two rush off, I got something for you. Take a look at this!"

Fitz moved over to the nearby table, which had two identical pistols resting on it. He grabbed one and stepped back to his original place. Aside from a cartridge that had a small, glowing blue light on it, it looked like a regular pistol.

"It's a pistol," said Sharon.

Fitz's eyes flared up with rage.

"IT IS NOT JUST A PISTOL!"

Simmons sighed as Fitz waved the gun around in his hands.

"This is a top of the line piece of weaponry!" shouted Fitz. "Looks like a pistol, acts like a pistol, but is far more than that! Instead of being loaded with regular old bullets, it instead has a rechargeable battery cartridge that allows it to fire specially-prepared doses of dendrotoxin! Guaranteed to non-lethally take down any target in a matter of seconds, leaving them unconscious without any ill side effects afterwards!"

Steve and Sharon both raised their eyebrows. Simmons held out her hands in a placating gesture.

"Fitz, it's alright, you don't have to . . . ."

"It's called an ICER, which stands for Incapacitating Cartridge Emitting Railgun! It's a remarkable feat of engineering, and I won't let anyone tell me different! Perfect weapon for this mission, too, given that Fury wants Magnum taken in alive!"

"Okay, okay!" said Sharon. "You've convinced me!"

Fitz smiled.

"Good! But first! A demonstration!"

Fitz then aimed the pistol at Simmons, who widened her eyes and screamed as he fired a shot at her. The shot hit her in the chest, and she immediately fell to the ground, unconscious. Steve, Sharon and Fitz all gasped simultaneously, with Fitz obviously oblivious to what he was doing until Simmons was already on the floor.

"Oh crap. I just shot my girlfriend."

* * *

A loud alarm sounded as the door opened. The man stepped through the door, arriving in the visiting area of the prison. He was wearing a dark purple business suit and was carrying a legal briefcase. His short hair was meticulously done, and he was wearing a set of oblong glasses. He marched up to the security checkpoint, where he handed a set of documents and credentials to the nearby guard.

"One moment," said the guard.

The guard took them to the security officer sitting at the desk inside of the checkpoint office. The officer looked over the credentials for a couple minutes, periodically taking a moment to glance at the man. The man stayed still and silent the entire time. Once he was done, the officer shrugged and handed the documents back to the guard.

"It all checks out," he said. "Don't know what the hell Sarkissian needs with a lawyer, but, everything's in order. Let him through."

The guard handed the documents back to the man, who nodded at him.

"Thank you," said the man.

The man calmly marched forward, heading into the visitation area of the prison. He sat down at one of the visitation booths, where he waited a couple moments. Then, Ophelia, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, sat down on the opposite side of the glass partition. She looked dishevelled and miserable, with her green hair being stringy and poorly washed.

The man looked at her with a blank stare as he picked up the phone on his side of the booth and placed it next to his ear. Ophelia did the same with her phone.

"You called?"

"Zemo," said Ophelia, her voice indicating exhaustion. "Please. I need your help. Get me out of here. Do whatever it takes."

Zemo smirked.

"Perhaps you should try to break out yourself. Given how you can heal, you may even survive the attempt."

Ophelia grumbled.

"Tell me, Ophelia. Why should I help you? What have you ever given me that I cannot obtain for myself? I have wealth. Resources. Power. As of now, you have none of those things. You have had over seventy years to accomplish your objectives. You have been trying to take over the world since the fall of the Third Reich, and yet, what do you have to show for it?"

Ophelia scowled.

"I would say that you have had far too many chances," said Zemo.

"Regardless of our . . . . differences, in the past, I am still a member of the Hydra High Council. We have been allies all your life. I worked with your father. Your grandfather. You can be a part of something great, Helmut. Together, we can finally bring about the Age of Hydra that we have always dreamed of."

Zemo shook his head.

"You still do not understand. That was your dream. Not mine. I am not my father, or my grandfather. Hydra is a relic, one that I have no loyalty to. It will die with you in your cell. From now on, what I do, I do for myself, not for Hydra."

"Don't you dare . . . ."

"Goodbye, Ophelia. I trust you will serve your life sentence with the utmost dignity."

Zemo then hung up the phone, watching as Ophelia silently screamed from the other side of the visitation booth. He chuckled to himself as he stood up and walked away, leaving Ophelia to fruitlessly pound her fists against the glass.


	4. Heat in the Streets

Earth-717: Captain America Vol 2

Chapter 4: Heat in the Streets

Moses Magnum was sitting inside of a car that was driving him through the downtown area of Freetown. He was sitting in the back seat, on the left side, looking out the window. His right hand was placed on his silver briefcase, which was in the middle seat. In the right seat was a man in a red and black armoured combat suit, with a white mask covering his face and a red ocular lens strapped around his left eye.

The man's phone rang, and he placed it against his left ear.

"This is Cross."

"Sir," said the voice on the other end. "We've secured the area. You can move in now."

"Good. Radio silence unless I give the word."

"Yes sir."

Cross put his phone back in his pocket. Magnum glanced at him, but Cross kept his eyes looking forward.

"We're ready to move you in," said Cross. "My forces have secured the meeting place."

"You better have," said Magnum. "I'm tired of driving around in circles. This deal is worth more than you know, so you better know what you're doing, Crossfire."

"When you hire Black Spectre, you hire the best," said Cross. "No need to worry."

Magnum looked back out the window.

"I always worry."

Cross exhaled before looking at the driver.

"Turn left."

The driver made the turn. A few moments later, the driver stopped the car in front of a residential building. Cross stepped out of the car first. He calmly walked around to the other side of the vehicle. Multiple people on the street looked scared to see a man with so much combat gear, along with an assault rifle strapped to his back.

Cross opened the door for Magnum, holding it open as his client stepped out of the vehicle. Holding his briefcase, Magnum looked upwards, seeing that Black Spectre mercenaries had taken positions in a couple of the nearby buildings. He cracked his neck side to side before walking forward, with Cross next to him the entire time.

Magnum walked through the lobby of the building. He ignored the glances from various people as he headed for the elevator. Cross then tapped him on the shoulder.

"Stairs," said Cross.

Magnum scowled at Cross for a moment, before nodding and turning the other way. The two men made their way up the stairs, heading for the third floor. Magnum then looked at the numbers on the doors, looking for the one he had been provided. Once he found the room, he stood in front of it and took in a deep breath.

Cross stepped up to the door and gave it two short knocks. A few seconds later, a man in a black suit opened the door. He quickly looked over Cross and Magnum for a moment, before turning back and speaking to someone inside the room.

"It's them."

"Let them in."

The man held the door open, allowing Cross and Magnum to step inside of the living room of an apartment. A woman was sitting at a table, with another man in a suit standing behind her left shoulder, with his hands held together behind his back. The first man returned to his spot at her right side.

Cross quickly surveyed the room for entrances and any other people or traps that may have been prepared. Seemingly satisfied, he then gestured for Magnum to sit at the table across from the woman. As Magnum sat down, he looked at a briefcase that the woman had already placed on the desk. He put his briefcase next to hers.

The woman took a sip from a water bottle before speaking.

"Hell of a hot continent you got here."

"Laura Brown," said Magnum.

Laura chuckled.

"Oh, no need for that name anymore," she said, her accent suddenly changing and revealing her Eastern European ancestry. "It never suited me. I only took it for my undercover operations. You can call me Oksana Petrovskaya."

"Russia?"

"Ukraine."

"Hmm. Given your ties, Miss Petrovskaya, I take it that you approve of Svoboda?"

"Of course. They're heroes, Mister Magnum. True visionaries who are trying to make things better for my country. This troubles you?"

Magnum shook his head.

"Makes no difference to me who I deal with, so long as I can get what I need."

Oksana laughed.

"That is a bottom line I can respect."

She then looked over at Cross for a moment.

"Black Spectre," she said. "You certainly don't spare expenses when it comes to security."

Magnum glanced at the men at her side.

"Neither do you, it seems."

"Given recent losses, Hydra has to stay careful. Even with you."

She then looked over her shoulder at one of her men.

"Show him."

The man stepped forward and opened the briefcase. Cross kept his eye on him the entire time, making sure that nobody made any false moves. The man opened the briefcase and turned it around, allowing Magnum to see what was inside. Most of the suitcase was filled with black foam, with six slots cut into it.

Each slot contained a small, circular tech grenade. Each grenade had a thin glass line around the circumference, which revealed that there was a glowing purple liquid inside.

"The Theta virus," said Oksana, smiling. "Specially prepared by Doctor Whitehall himself. His crowning achievement. That, right there, is the next big thing in biological warfare. Guaranteed to cause infection in one hundred percent of its victims. No more instant death rates like the Corrupted Blood Virus or other previous models."

Magnum reached inside and picked up one of the grenades. He looked it over, taking note of a red button and a pin attached to the side.

"Pull out the pin and press the button, which will arm the device. Then, you just have to throw it and watch the chaos ensue."

"We'll have to test it to make sure it does what you claim," said Magnum.

"Of course. Whatever you need to feel like you're making a valuable purchase. If there's any dissatisfaction, you only need to call. Let's see the money."

Magnum placed the grenade back in the briefcase and closed it. He then reached for his own briefcase. As he was opening it, Oksana saw a shadow cast down on the outside of the building wall, in the shape of a humanoid. Realizing it was the perfect opportunity, she immediately kicked up violently with her left foot, causing the table to smack against Magnum's jaw.

The two Hydra bodyguards shouted in surprise. Magnum's money scattered into the air. Cross pulled out his pistol and took aim at Oksana, who then performed a backflip to dodge his shots. While she was flipping, she pulled out a seventh Theta virus grenade from her belt and pulled the pin. Rolling into the adjacent room, she then pressed the button before tossing the grenade into the living room.

Magnum grabbed the grenade briefcase as Cross crouched down and put his hand over his mouth. The grenade exploded, causing a purple mist to fill up the air. Cross quickly got Magnum out of the room as the two Hydra bodyguards coughed from inhaling the gas. Grinning, Oksana then ran to the other side of the bathroom and bashed down the opposite door.

Cross placed his finger against his ear as he pulled Magnum down the hall.

"It's a double cross!" he shouted. "Get the entrances covered!"

"On it."

Just as Cross and Magnum were about to get to the stairs, Steve swung down from outside, with his shield held in front of him. He smashed through the window with his shield and did a barrel roll. Once he was standing up, he got into a combat stance and looked directly at Cross. The mercenary drew out his pistol and fired two shots at Steve, who deflected them with his shield.

As Steve was blocking the shots, Cross rushed for the stairs, with Magnum in tow. Steve was about to go after them when he heard a blood-curdling screech. People in the hallway screamed as a humanoid figure burst through one of the doors, tearing the wood apart. Steve gasped when he looked at the creature.

It was a mutated man, who had clearly been wearing a suit. However, the lower face of his face and a large portion of he right side of his chest were split open, with jagged teeth lining both orifices. Writhing, orange tentacles spurted out of the chest cavity, and the bones in his arms had grown into spikes that pierced the flesh.

The creature howled into the air before running towards Steve, who braced himself with his shield. The creature crashed into the shield, screaming as it tried to bite down on the edge of it. Groaning, Steve then jutted his shield forward, crunching the bones in its chest against the metal. He then landed a solid punch to its face.

The creature took a step back as more teeth popped out of its flesh. A larger tentacle emerged from the chest cavity, poised to strike. It lashed forward, but Steve spun around and swung his shield, slicing the tentacle in half. The creature squealed as Steve then jammed his shield into the chest cavity, cleaving its flesh and causing blood to spurt out from multiple places.

Undeterred, Steve knocked the creature to the floor before lifting his shield again. He then slammed the edge of the shield with all his strength, finally killing the creature. However, once he looked up, he saw that more creatures were running through the building, chasing down screaming civilians and attacking them.

Steve watched in horror as a woman was stabbed through the face with an arm spike. Only a few seconds later, her crushed head fell off and her lower body started to mutate, with spindly legs bursting out of her sides. Her body then fell to the floor, and she started to crawl along the floor on her new legs as tentacles emerged from her back.

"Oh God."

Down in the lobby, people were fleeing in terror as one of the creatures leaped down from one of the balconies. Cross looked at the creature and fired three shots at it, including one that blew apart its head. The attack staggered the creature but did not kill it.

"Get me out of here!" shouted Magnum.

"The hell do you think I'm doing?!"

The creature, which had blade-like bones protruding from all of its fingers, wildly slashed through the air in confusion. Cross took the opportunity to get Magnum out of the building.

"Where's my cover?!"

At that second, a Black Spectre mercenary fell out of the air, his body crashing into the top of a nearby car. Cross and Magnum both shouted as Sharon swung downwards on a grapple line that was attached to an outside balcony. Kicking out with both legs, she struck Cross in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

Magnum immediately sprinted in the opposite direction. Sharon was about to chase after him when a sniper shot rang out through the air, coming from a mercenary on a balcony across the street. Taking cover behind the car, she quickly grabbed the sniper rifle off of the corpse of the first mercenary and held it close. Cross got off the floor, but saw that several police vehicles had arrived.

Pulling out his assault rifle, he fired a spray of bullets above the heads of the incoming officers, forcing them to take cover. He then sprinted after Magnum. Sharon scowled as she heard another sniper shot go off over her head. As people ran every which way, she then took aim with the sniper rifle and fired a shot, blowing apart the skull of the enemy sniper.

Tossing the rifle away, Sharon then broke into a full on sprint down the street, chasing after Magnum and Cross. A moment later, Steve threw one of the creatures out of the building, before rushing up to it and crushing its body against another car.

"Sharon!"

"Come on!" she shouted. "He's getting away!"

Putting his shield on his back, Steve took off after Sharon. Magnum went around a corner, shoving a man out of his way and jumping over the hood of an incoming car. As another police vehicle headed towards Magnum, Cross aimed his assault rifle and fired a grenade from the underbelly launcher. The front of the car exploded, killing both officers inside.

"Get the evac chopper onto the roof near the water!" shouted Cross, into his com link.

Magnum and Cross got across the street, heading for an alley where another Black Spectre mercenary was waiting for them. Cross turned around and fired a burst of bullets at Sharon, who ducked beneath another car to avoid them. She then fired off a couple of rounds from her ICER pistol, but Cross was already around the corner.

She got across the street, with Steve close behind her. As she turned the corner, the mercenary jumped out, with a rifle at the ready. Sharon reacted quicker, performing a spin kick to knock the rifle out of his hands. He tried to punch at her, but she parried his blow before grabbing his throat with one hand and jamming the barrel of her pistol against his forehead with the other.

She pulled the trigger, rendering him instantly unconscious. Throwing his body to the side, she then continued to sprint down the alley. She then looked up to see that Steve had climbed up onto the nearby building and was running even faster than she was. He got to the end of the building and leaped forward, holding his shield in front of him.

Cross turned around just in time to see Steve about to collide with him. Cross yelled as Steve bashed his shield into his body, knocking him back. As Steve was about to follow up his attack, Cross armed a wrist module, which fired a sonic blast. Steve held his hands over his ears as the blast disoriented him.

Cross then aimed his assault rifle at Steve's chest.

"Hell is for heroes," he said.

As Cross was about to pull the trigger, Sharon ran out of the alley and fired a shot at his arm.

"Augh!"

Cross was pained by the impact, but his body armour absorbed the dendrotoxin. He then aimed his rifle at Sharon, firing another burst of shots that forced her back. His clip empty, Cross then tossed the rifle away and ran after Magnum, who was now climbing the stairs to a roof with a Black Spectre helicopter on it.

Steve cringed as he recovered from the sonic blast. Sharon ran past him, but stopped in her tracks when she saw Cross pull a grenade off his belt.

"Piss off!"

Cross tossed the grenade towards Sharon. In a split second, she realized that a young boy, no older than ten, was standing on the street near her.

"Look out!"

She then tackled the boy, knocking him out of the blast radius. The grenade exploded, with the fragments cutting at Sharon's body. She was knocked to the ground, and the boy looked at her in shock. Letting out a deep breath as she bled from her side, she then met his eyes.

"You okay?" she asked.

The boy nodded. By this point, Magnum had gotten to the roof, where the helicopter was waiting for him. Cross was right behind him, but was suddenly struck by Steve's shield. Falling over, Cross quickly recovered and got back up, spinning around to face the hero. Shouting, Cross started to fight Steve hand to hand, and the two combatants traded several blows.

Magnum got onto the helicopter, and watched as Steve and Cross continued to fight.

"Get us in the air!" he shouted.

The pilot took off, and was a few metres into the air when he was suddenly shot in the neck with an ICER bullet. As the pilot went unconscious, Magnum looked back to the side to see a bloodied Sharon getting to the roof, holding her pistol. The helicopter fell back down, and its landing gear crashed against the edge of the roof.

Realizing that the helicopter was about to fall off the building and into the water, Magnum held the briefcase with both arms and jumped out. He landed on his stomach as the helicopter fell off the edge, crashing into the water below. As this happened, Steve smashed Cross in the chest with his knee before bringing his shield down hard on his face, finally dealing the knockout blow.

Steve let out a deep breath as he looked at Magnum. Sharon walked up to Steve, standing beside him. The two heroes took a moment to recover their breath. Magnum quivered and put up his hands.

"I surren . . . ."

Sharon then fired an ICER bullet at his head, incapacitating him.

"We know," she said.

Sharon then tapped her com link.

"Get a Quinjet over here for pickup. We have two . . . ."

Sharon looked over her shoulder to see that Cross was already gone.

"Scratch that. One priority target acquired."

* * *

From a helicopter flying away from the city, Oksana could see Steve and Sharon through her binoculars. She chuckled as she placed her phone next to her ear.

"Good news, Zemo. The job's done."


	5. Hearts and Minds

Earth-717: Captain America Vol 2

Chapter 5: Hearts and Minds

Once he was satisfied that his children were occupied with watching a movie in the living room, Zemo went into his private office and closed the door. He sat down and turned on his computer. A few minutes later, he started a video call. On the other end was Daniel Whitehall Jr., a scientist in his early thirties who looked almost exactly like his father, the original Daniel Whitehall who worked with the Red Skull in World War II.

"Baron."

"Doctor."

"How was our field test?"

Zemo folded his hands together.

"Better than I'd hoped. Everything is falling in line with my plans. Soon, SHIELD will be shattered, and Nick Fury will rue the day he crossed me."  
"And what happens now?"

"Our new anti-detection system has been put to good use. Continue Theta development for the time being. I have to make preparations for the _Deliverance_. I'll be in contact once the next phase has begun."

* * *

"Ergh . . . ."

"Try not to move too much," said Simmons. "With the adrenaline gone, you're going to be feeling all the pain."

Sharon winced as she laid her head back against the pillow on her medical bed. She was on a Quinjet heading back to the helicarrier, being tended to by Simmons. Fitz and Steve were also present. Magnum was handcuffed and placed in the back end of the jet. At that moment, the pilot looked over her shoulder.

"We'll be at the helicarrier in half an hour," said Melinda May. "Already gave Fury the mission report. Says he'll meet us when we arrive."

"Thanks, May," said Fitz, as he typed into a datapad. "Here we are."

Fitz then handed the datapad to Steve. It showed a profile and an image of Cross.

"That's him," said Steve.

"William Cross, also known as Crossfire," said Fitz. "Ex-CIA operative who later went into private contracting. Now he's a top-tier mercenary for Black Spectre. Got away?"

Steve handed the datapad back to Fitz.

"He won't next time. Thanks."

Steve watched as Simmons gently applied a disinfectant to the cuts on Sharon's right side. Her skin had several gashes in it from the grenade fragments, which had already been removed. However, aside from a couple of groans, Sharon did not seem overly fazed by the wounds.

"Ah," said Fitz. "Can't watch this. Not good with . . . . fleshy bits."

Fitz then walked towards the cockpit and took the passenger seat next to May. Steve watched as Simmons wrapped bandages around Sharon's wounds. Once she was done, Simmons clapped her hands together and smiled.

"And, there you are! Should make a full recovery, all things considered."

Sharon reached out with her right hand. She took Simmons' hand and squeezed it.

"Thank you, Jemma."

"You're welcome."

Sharon let go of Simmons' hand, and the scientist walked away from the medical bed. Sharon exhaled and looked upwards as Steve took a step towards her. He glanced down at her bandages before looking at her face again. He crossed his arms before speaking.

"You did good today."

Sharon didn't respond.

"I just wanted you to know that I saw what you did. Risking yourself for that kid. You didn't hesitate. It was brave."

Sharon blinked and sighed.

"Fury would be proud."

"Yeah," said Sharon. "Guess he would be."

"Peggy would be proud too."

"I don't want her approval."  
Steve frowned. He then sat down on a chair next to the medical bed.

"When we met, you said that you didn't join SHIELD to follow in Peggy's footsteps. That you and her weren't on good terms. Care to tell me more about why?"

"Not really."

"You know, holding on to the past, keeping it locked up inside . . . . it can break a person. Change you. Turn you into something you're not."

Sharon scoffed.

"Tell me something I don't know."

She then turned to look at Steve.

"That's what Peggy did. That's why I don't wanna see her. She held on to the past so much that it ruined her family. My family. She's the one who tore us apart."

Steve frowned as he listened to Sharon.

"We were always told that Peggy was a hero. Working with Captain America, founding SHIELD, probably saving the world half a dozen times. Sure, she did all that, but that's all history. Nobody talks about what she did to her family. How she ruined all our lives. Nobody talks about that. Nobody remembers that."

"I'm sorry," said Steve. "I, I didn't know."

"Of course you don't. No one knows. No one cares."

"I care. I knew Peggy when she was better than that."

"Well, I never did."

Sharon then turned her head away from Steve. Knowing that she did not want to speak anymore, he got up and left her alone. Nobody saw as a couple of tears fell down her cheeks.

* * *

Fury stood with his hands behind his back as the Quinjet's loading ramp lowered. He watched as Sharon limped forward, with Fitz and Simmons following after her.

"You really shouldn't be walking," said Simmons.

"I'm fine," said Sharon. "Really."

Simmons sighed as Sharon continued to limp. Steve and May were the last ones out of the jet, with May escorting Magnum.

"Director," said May.

"Take him to the holding cells," said Fury. "Hill will prep him for interrogation."

"Right away."

May pulled Magnum towards the other end of the hangar. Sharon winced as she held her side. Steve and Fury both looked at her with concern.

"Director, sir," said Simmons. "I patched her up, but she, uh, doesn't want to . . . ."

"That will be all, Agent Simmons," said Fury. "Get back to the lab, you two. I want you analyzing the bio-weapon that you recovered from Magnum."

"Right away, sir," said Fitz.

Fitz and Simmons walked off, leaving Fury, Steve and Sharon alone. Fury frowned as he stepped up to Sharon.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Had better days," said Sharon, weakly chuckling. "Not gonna keep me off my feet, though."

"Good girl. You did well."

Sharon smiled.

"Thank you, sir."

Fury then glanced at Steve.

"There's something you both need to see."

Fury led Steve and Sharon out of the hangar and into a conference room. He pulled a remote out of one of his inside jacket pockets and pressed a button. A holographic display screen appeared on the wall, showing a news broadcast. It was an interview being done on an outdoor podium with Senator Abigail Conway.

"This was broadcast less than ten minutes ago," said Fury.

Steve narrowed his eyes when he saw the headline at the bottom of the screen.

SENATOR CONWAY CALLS FOR AUTHORITATIVE ACTION AGAINST SHIELD

"SHIELD is an organization that claims to stand for law and order, but due process is clearly not a priority. The terrible tragedy in Freetown is just the latest in a string of incidents that prove that Nick Fury simply doesn't care about the consequences of either his own actions, or the actions of the people under his command."

The screen then showed aerial footage of the battle in Freetown, including shots of the mutated creatures attacking civilians.

"During a SHIELD operation today involving Captain America, an unknown biological weapon was unleashed, eventually resulting in fourteen civilian casualties. It was only due to luck that the infected creatures were destroyed by the brave officers of Sierra Leone before the contagion could spread too far."

Sharon put a hand over her face as the footage switched back to Abigail.

"Today, I am calling for an end to SHIELD's unilateral authority. I am hereby demanding that Nick Fury, Captain America, and anyone else involved in this operation immediately cease action and come to meet me on Capitol Hill, where Congress will discuss new legislation in the names of the people of Freetown, and anyone else who has been killed on Fury's watch."

Fury tapped the button again, turning the screen off. He then looked at Steve and Sharon.

"I've already contacted Congress," said Fury. "We'll be going to Capitol Hill tomorrow, first thing in the morning."

"We did our jobs!" shouted Sharon. "We had no idea there would be anything like that! We didn't release that bio-weapon!"

"I know," said Fury. "It was a setup, I'm damn sure of it. But we don't know who did it, and don't have any proof to help our case. Pains me to say it, but Conway's got us dead to rights. Civilians are dead, and there's a trail of bodies whenever our agents go into the field."

"But sir, that's the job," said Steve. "We go out there and try to save everyone we can, but we go into this knowing that we can't always save everyone. Taking down Magnum and retrieving the bio-weapon will save far more lives than the ones that were lost."

"I completely agree," said Fury. "But not everyone sees it that way. And I can't avoid this issue any longer. We have to go."

Steve and Sharon glanced at each other before looking back at Fury.

"Understood," said Steve.

"We'll have your back, sir," said Sharon.

* * *

As the sun rose over Washington, D.C., a truck pulled up to the one of the loading areas for the United States Capitol Building. The driver pulled up to a security checkpoint, and she stopped as required. She was wearing sunglasses, a New York Yankees baseball cap, and was loudly chewing her gum. She had one hand on the top of the wheel.

The security officer looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Hang on," he said. "Gotta do a scan."  
The officer pressed a button on his panel, and blue lasers shot down on the truck from nearby posts. They scanned the entire truck, and after a few seconds, the scan came up negative for any dangerous devices. The officer looked back at the driver.

"Credentials."

The driver handed over her identification card and an official document that showed her import order. The officer looked over the documents for a moment.

"Laura Brown?"

"Yes sir," said Oksana, once again using her American accent.

"Says here you have an import order from Senator Conway."

"Signed it herself."

The man looked back at Oksana, and gave her a suspicious glare. She blew a bubble with her gum as she waited for him to speak again.

"Really?" he said.

"Really what?"

"A Yankees fan? Really?!"

Oksana laughed.

"Born and raised," she said. "You?"

"Indians. Always."

Oksana shook her head.

"Sorry."

The officer chuckled before handing her credentials back to her.

"Have a good day," he said.

"Likewise, sir."

The officer pressed the button that opened the security gate, allowing Oksana to drive the truck into the compound. She whistled as she looked up at the rear view mirror, in which she could see the electromagnetic pulse bomb she had been ordered to deliver.

* * *

Fury stepped out of a limo, and was immediately ambushed by numerous reporters and news outlets, all of them trying to get his attention or take his picture. The crowd only grew more frenetic when Steve stepped out of the limo after him, wearing his costume and his shield. Sharon was the last one out of the car.

"Come on," said Fury, ignoring the crowd.

Fury, Steve and Sharon started walking up the steps to the Capitol Building. However, a few seconds later, they stopped when they heard the crowd erupt into applause and cheering. They all looked up to see a familiar figure dropping out of the sky. She landed in a three-point pose a few steps above them before standing up and retracting her helmet.

"Hey guys!" said Tasha.

Fury was unfazed, and continued walking.

"Stark."

Fury walked past Tasha, who shrugged.

"Eh, whatever."

Tasha then looked at Steve and smiled. She walked forward and held her hands out at her sides.

"Hey, handsome!"

Steve smiled back. Sharon stayed silent.

"Tasha. What are you doing here?"

Tasha furrowed her brow.

"I'm here to take you in."

Steve chuckled.

"I'd like to see you try."

Tasha giggled. She then held out her hand, and Steve shook it.

"It's nice to see you," he said.

"Just wanted to pop by and see how you were doing. Heard about how Conway's trying to put you through the wringer. Salty bitch."

"It's her right. She's just doing her job, trying to hold us accountable."

Tasha pursed her lips.

"Boy scout. Just here to say that I believe in you. I know that wherever you were at, you were doing the right thing. Okay?"

"Thanks, Tasha."

"Besides, I was in the neighbourhood anyway. Needed to talk to Russkie sexpot."

Tasha pointed forward, and Steve glanced over his shoulder. He could see the SHIELD helicarrier hovering in the distance over the city.

"Right."

"Good luck in there, man. Go win the hearts and minds."

Steve nodded.

"Appreciate it."

"Sayonara!"

Tasha then locked her helmet back in place and rocketed upwards, causing another round of applause from the crowd. Steve and Sharon both watched as she flew through the air, heading for the helicarrier. They then turned back and continued to walk up the stairs to the Capitol Building.


	6. Zemo Dark Thirty

Earth-717: Captain America Vol 2

Chapter 6: Zemo Dark Thirty

"Hynden! How can a banana protect you against two zombies?!"

"It can! It can! They'll slip on it!"

"Maybe one, but two?!"

"It can!"

Herman scowled at his younger sister.

"Nuh uh!"

"Yeah huh!"

Zemo sighed as his two children continued to argue and make faces at each other. He was sitting at the table with Herman and Hynden, with the family eating breakfast together. After a couple minutes of enduring their prattling, he decided to speak up.

"Alright, you two, that's enough," said Zemo, his tone firm but fair. "Stop fighting and finish your breakfast."

"He started it!" said Hynden, pointing at her brother.

"I don't care," said Zemo, shaking his head. "Eat."

Hynden grumbled as she gobbled down more of her cereal. A couple seconds later, Herman pointed over at the television.

"Papa! Look!"

Zemo turned to face the television, which showed a report on Captain America and Nick Fury arriving at the Capitol Building to meet with Senator Conway.

"That's where Mama works!" said Herman.

"Yes," said Zemo, smirking. "Yes it is."

"Can we go to the movies today?" asked Hynden.

Zemo looked down at his daughter.

"Of course," he said. "But it will have to be with Rose. I have to get back to work myself."

Herman and Hynden groaned simultaneously.

"But Papa!"

"You never leave us like this so soon," said Herman. "Why?"

"Rose will take you wherever you want to go. I have business, my little ones."

At that moment, the doorbell rang. Zemo stood up and walked over to the foyer. He opened the door to find a teenage girl with red hair standing on the other side.

"Morning, Mister Conway!"

"Rose," said Zemo, smiling. "Right on time."

Zemo reached into his pocket and pulled out several bills before handing them to Rose.

"I think they want to see a film today. Take them wherever they ask."

"Absolutely, Mister Conway."

"I'll be gone for a couple days, maybe more. So . . . ."

Zemo reached into his pocket again and pulled out an even larger stack of bills.

"Something extra for you to make sure they're taken care of."

Rose's eyes lit up upon seeing the amount of cash she was being handed.

"A-Anything you say, M-Mister Conway!"

* * *

As Steve and Sharon walked into the lobby of the Capitol Building, they saw that Fury had been cornered by another reporter and was reluctantly answering a couple of questions. Realizing that he actually had a spare moment, Steve looked over at Sharon.

"Hey."

Sharon stopped and turned to face Steve.

"Whatever happens in there, I want you to know that none of it is your fault."

Sharon raised an eyebrow.

"We were hit with something we didn't expect," said Steve. "I know exactly what that's like. To feel like the blame might be on you for something the bad guys did. The guilt? It just proves that you're one of the good ones."

A slight hint of a frown appeared on Sharon's face as she listened.

"If you feel ambushed in there, or if at any point you feel uncomfortable, just let me handle it. That's not me saying you can't take care of yourself, not at all. I've already seen that you can. What I'm saying is, that if you need a safe place, to talk, or just to be in . . . . the offer's open. I'll be there."

Sharon glanced away for a moment, seemingly unable to say anything in response. She then closed her eyes and turned forward. Steve sighed as the two of them walked up to Fury, who had finally managed to get away from the reporters. Multiple security officers stationed at the front entrance to the panel room beckoned the three of them to approach.

Everyone in the panel room turned their heads as the main door opened. Fury was the first one to walk through, followed by Steve on his left side and Sharon on his right. There were hundreds of people in attendance. Abigail Conway was at the front of the panel, with several people at her sides. She watched as the three heroes walked up to the front of the room and took their seats.

"I'd like to thank everyone in attendance today," said Abigail. "This is an important discussion for all of us to be having. Our world has changed so much in the past few years, and it's far past time for us to have a real talk about how we conduct ourselves in this new world."

Abigail took in a breath before she continued.

"We live in a world of imminent danger, and people who could be classified as weapons of mass destruction. The Avengers. The Fantastic Four. The X-Men. This is no longer a world of just men and women, people and soldiers. This is a world where gods live among us. People with powers and abilities we can't even begin to understand, much less control. But one man here doesn't believe that. He believes he can control these individuals, these metahumans. And that man is here today. Nick Fury, director of SHIELD."

Abigail and Fury looked at each other.

"Director Fury, could you please step forward?"

Fury got up from his seat and took a couple steps towards Abigail. He then put his hands together behind his back.

"Nicholas Fury. What do you have to say about the people of Freetown who died during an incident involving your operatives, including known enhanced individual Captain America?"

"I have to say that I share the grief of the people of Sierra Leone."

"Is that it? Even though you were responsible for those deaths?"

Fury shook his head.

"I only take responsibility for the actions of myself and my operatives. An unknown biological weapon was unleashed during a SHIELD operation, yes, but not by SHIELD."

"Please, Director, elaborate. Who was this nebulous person who unleashed the bio-weapon that killed fourteen of Freetown's civilians?"

Fury exhaled.

"We cannot confirm that at this time."

"You cannot or will not?"

"Cannot. We don't have that information. We're still trying to figure that out for ourselves."

Abigail scoffed.

"If you don't even know which enemies your missions involve, then how can we trust you to lead them in the first place? It sounds to me like your organization's intelligence isn't as trustworthy as you'd care to admit. You send powered individuals into combat situations in civilian areas without even being fully aware of all known involved factions?!"

Fury took in a breath as he mentally prepared his response.

"We use our intelligence to the best of our ability, Senator. But having been in combat situations over multiple decades, I can tell you one thing for certain. There are always variables that are either unknown, or out of our control. Part of the job is being able to adapt to those variables and still accomplish the mission."

"Maybe I would believe you if your operatives had adapted fast enough to prevent fourteen innocent people from dying."

Abigail then looked around the room as she gestured towards Fury.

"Do you see what I'm talking about?" she asked. "Nick Fury believes that we should trust him and the agents of SHIELD to protect us when he has no guarantee that his methods or his operatives will be fully effective to that end. Well, I say that this is a status quo that can no longer go unchallenged."

Abigail leaned forward as she glared at Fury.

"That will no longer go unchallenged."

Fury matched her glare.

* * *

In the lower levels of the Capitol Building, Oksana continued to whistle as she pushed a cart with a large wooden crate on it. Most of the other workers in the area paid her no mind as she strolled along, with her identification card strapped around her neck with a lanyard. At one point she was stopped by a security officer, but a quick showing of her documentation allowed her to pass as she made her way to a specific point of the building's basement.

Quickly checking the map of the building that she had saved to her phone, Oksana then smirked as she placed the crate in the exact location that Zemo had specified. She couldn't hear it at that moment, but she was directly below the panel room where Abigail Conway was discussing SHIELD and how they needed to be held accountable for their actions.

Oksana chuckled to herself as she thought about how her delivery was going to crash the event. Opening the top of the crate, she looked inside to see the electromagnetic pulse bomb she had been ordered to smuggle in. There was also a small device attached to the side of the container, which was the anti-detection system that had allowed her to get the bomb past the building's security measures.

Taking a quick look at her watch, Oksana made a mental note that she was right on time. She then bent down and tapped the arming code into a number pad attached to the side of the bomb. Once the bomb was armed, the countdown started, and Oksana closed the crate. At that moment, a worker walked into the room and looked at her with suspicion.

"Hey, what was that?"

"What do you mean?" asked Oksana, not turning around.

The worker took a step towards her.

"Looked like there was something in that crate. What was it?"

Oksana rolled her eyes.

"Nothing you need to be concerned about."

Oksana then quickly turned around and whipped a knife that was in her pocket at the man's throat. It pierced his neck right below the chin. Oksana then rushed towards him and grabbed the knife's hilt. She jammed it even further into his flesh, killing him before he got the chance to make a single sound.

Pulling the knife out, Oksana then wiped the blood on the man's clothes before stuffing it back in her pocket. She then dragged the man's body behind the crate. Coughing once, she then put her hands in her pockets again before calmly walking down the hallway.

* * *

Magnum was sitting at a table in an interrogation room. He tapped his fingers against the edge of the table as he waited. May was standing on the inside of the room, next to the door. After hearing a knock, May opened the door and Maria Hill stepped into the room. May closed the door as Hill looked at Magnum.

"The way I see it, Mister Magnum, you have a choice," said Hill. "You can either tell us what we want to know, or you can . . . ."

Magnum shook his head.

"There is no need for threats, Agent Hill. I will tell you whatever you want to know."

Hill and May exchanged glances. May shrugged.

"Really?" asked Hill.

"Yes," said Magnum. "I have no desire to suffer interrogation, I will be looking for any concessions I can get, and I have no allegiance to the people who I was scheduled to make a deal with. They betrayed me and tried to kill me. So if you want information about them, I am more than happy to oblige, given that you will likely be going after them, yes? I suspect that cooperating with you in any way I can is in my best interests."

Hill then sat down and put her hands together.

"Then start. Who were you going to make a deal with?"

"I always do research before entering into any partnerships," said Magnum. "I've usually been able to stay safe with the information I gather. I knew who Laura Brown really was, and who she worked for, but I didn't want her to know what I know. That may have been a mistake."

"Who is she? Who does she work for?"

"Hydra."

* * *

"With all due respect, Senator, Nick Fury's actions saved the human race," said Steve. "Certainly, what he did was a gamble. But everything we do in this job is a gamble. You assess the situation, look at your options, and make the call. It's the best that any of us can do."

"Nick Fury is a hero," said Sharon. "He's worked to keep the world safe for decades, and without his help, there wouldn't have been any Avengers to save the world when we needed them most. He doesn't deserve this kind of treatment."

"Thank you, both of you, for your testimonies," said Abigail, finally cutting them off.

Steve and Sharon both sat back down. They looked at each other, both of them hoping that what they got to say would have some kind of effect on the rest of the panel. Several of the people at the head table began conferring with each other. Abigail listened in on some of their conversations. After a couple minutes, they all looked forward again.

Abigail checked her watch before speaking.

"We here appreciate all of the hard work that SHIELD has done. We're not trying to take away from any of that. But the age of SHIELD having absolute authority over its operations is going to come to an end. New oversight will be installed, and new legislation will be ratified. Despite all the good you've done, Director Fury, there is also much that you will regret."

Abigail narrowed her eyes.

"Think on your sins, Fury."

Fury suddenly felt a shiver go down his spine upon hearing such familiar words. At that moment, Steve tilted his head slightly as he heard a strange clicking sound. His eyes widening, he immediately stood up and took out his shield, placing it against the ground in front of Sharon.

"LOOK OUT!"

Steve had barely touched the tip of his shield against the concrete when an explosion blew a massive hole open in the floor of the panel room. Most of the attendance crowd were instantly vaporized, while most of the people at the panel table were blown out of their chairs. Abigail was thrown to the floor, and looked up in shock.

The walls of the room cracked as large chunks of the floor gave way and plummeted down to the lower levels. An electric shockwave was sent out by the bomb's detonation, cutting off power to the Capitol Building and much of the surrounding area. As Steve and Sharon got up, they saw that Fury was clinging to the edge of the hole in the floor.

"NICK!"

Sharon ran over to him and grabbed his bloodied arm with both hands. Sharon shouted in agony as she desperately pulled, tearing open the wounds in her side as she tried to save him. She then felt Steve wrap his arms around her stomach and contribute his strength. Fury groaned as he was pulled away from the edge and brought back to solid ground.

Sharon fell to her knee and felt her side start bleeding again. In a gesture of gratitude, Fury reached up and gently pressed his hand against her arm. As Steve let Sharon fall against him, Fury took out his phone and pressed it to his ear.

"Hill . . . ."

"Director? What's . . . ."

"Condition Zero, now!"

"Yes, sir."

Fury then threw his phone into the hole before looking up at Steve. His face was bloody and bruised, and he looked like he was barely holding on to consciousness.

"Leave me . . . . find . . . . Zemo . . . ."

Fury then passed out. Steve and Sharon looked at each other with confusion when they suddenly heard Abigail start shouting.

"FURY TRIED TO KILL US! TAKE THEM DOWN!"

Steve glanced over his shoulder to see a handful of security guards rushing into the room from a back door, all of them holding pistols. They took aim at Steve, who held up his shield to deflect several bullets. Quickly placing his shield against his back, he then lifted Sharon with both hands, with one under her neck and another under her knees.

"What are you . . . .?"

Steve cut Sharon off by jumping into the hole. Falling multiple stories, he then landed on his feet, shouting in pain as he did so. Refusing to be slowed down, he forced himself to continue running, carrying Sharon the entire time. He had no idea where he was supposed to go, but he knew two things for certain.

He was a wanted man, and he was going to do everything he could to keep Sharon safe.


	7. Sharon is Caring

Earth-717: Captain America Vol 2

Chapter 7: Sharon is Caring

Fury had been sitting for hours in a dark room. His hands were cuffed, his face was bruised, and there were cuts on several parts of his body. His bones were in constant pain, and he could still hear a faint buzzing in his ears from the sound of the explosion. He groaned as he shifted his position in his chair, finding that there simply wasn't a comfortable way for him to sit.

Finally, the door opened. A blue ray of light filtered into the room. A second later, a familiar figure stepped inside.

"Director Fury."

"Senator. The exact person I was hoping not to see."

Abigail coughed as she closed the door and walked to the chair on the opposite side of the table. Fury noticed that she had changed her dress, but there was still a cut on the right side of her forehead. She took a seat and placed both of her hands on the table. Once again, Fury and Abigail found themselves glaring at each other, but this time, Fury knew just how dangerous she really was.

"It seems that your little assassination attempt didn't take, Director. I'm still here."

"I didn't plant that bomb."

"Oh really? And who did?"

"You did."

Abigail laughed out loud. Fury was somewhat perturbed by how openly she did it.

"Come now, Fury. You have to do better than that. You have no proof."

"No proof, sure. But I've worked this job long enough to know there's no such thing as coincidence. You try to take down SHIELD through official channels, but to force it through faster, you fake an assassination attempt and blame it on us. You're good, I'll give you that."

"I don't believe in coincidence either, but you've got it all wrong. SHIELD planted that bomb. You were afraid that I might actually take control away from you, so you tried to take me out. Made sure you were in the blast zone too, to try and ward off suspicion. Maybe you could blame it on any of your enemies. AIM. The Syndicate. Doctor Doom. Take your pick."

"I'm thinking of a different enemy."

Abigail smirked.

"And who would that be?"

"You know, you almost had me fooled. I was this close to believing that maybe you were just a genuinely concerned citizen."

Abigail tilted her head slightly to the side as she listened to Fury.

"You've been working hard to cover up your tracks, but you couldn't help yourself, could you?

You thought you had me nailed to the wall. So you showed your hand just a second too early. Shame. You might have had a chance if you didn't."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Think on your sins, Senator."

Abigail sneered. Fury chuckled.

"I know exactly who you are now. And now that I know, you won't get away with this."

Abigail shrugged.

"What you think you know is irrelevant. You're the one in handcuffs, not me. So tell me, Director . . . . where is the SHIELD helicarrier?"

"I have no idea."

Abigail slammed her right fist against the table.

"Don't you fucking toy with me, Fury! I have been given direct authority to dismantle SHIELD. President Ellis had no choice but to declare you a rogue organization. Every single SHIELD agent is wanted by the United States government. You tell me where they are, and there's a chance they get out of this alive. You don't . . . . and there isn't."

"They can take care of themselves. And you and I both know you have no intention of sparing the lives of any SHIELD agents."

"Perhaps not. But when I kill all of them, it will be perfectly legal. This will only end one way, you know."

Fury scoffed.

"You'd be surprised how fast situations can change."

"Not this time."

Abigail then stood back up. She pulled on her collar with both hands as she walked towards the door. Before opening it, she glanced over her shoulder.

"We will find them if you don't tell us. You know that, right? And if you make us search for them . . . . we'll make them suffer."

Abigail opened the door and walked out. As she shut it behind her, Fury looked to the side and took in a deep breath. He didn't want to show it, but inside, he was worried.

He was very worried.

* * *

"Not the comfiest place, I know, but it'll have to do."

Steve sat down next to Sharon on the cold, metal floor. They were stowing away inside of a cargo freighter that was making its way across the Atlantic Ocean. No one knew they were on the ship. They were both exhausted from going on the run, barely avoiding the authorities at every turn. Now, bruised and dirty, they finally had a chance to rest.

Sharon had received a data packet from Maria Hill as they were making their escape, telling them to head for an address in the Ukraine that had been provided to her by Moses Magnum. The packet also mentioned that SHIELD was undergoing Condition Zero, which was an emergency protocol that had the helicarrier go silent and into hiding until Fury gave the all clear.

For several minutes, the two of them stayed silent, just staring forward and absorbing the gravity of their situation. Finally, Steve broke the silence.

"Tell me something."

"Hmm?"

"The name Fury said before we got away. Zemo. You heard it before?"

Sharon looked down.

"Yeah."

"So have I."

Steve scowled and clenched his fists. He closed his eyes as his throat seized up in anger. Sharon frowned as she watched his body language. She knew what was coming next.

"Baron Zemo was a member of Hydra," said Steve. "Back in the war. I killed him. Just like I killed Hydra. Right?"

Steve turned his gaze to Sharon, who refused to look him in the eyes.

"Right?!"

Sharon gulped. Steve then stood up and shouted before punching the side of the ship's hull, leaving a sizable dent. Sharon jumped to her feet and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey."

Steve knocked her hand away in anger. She blinked and took a step back. He immediately frowned and shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have . . . ."

"No," said Sharon. "I'm sorry. We were . . . . we were going to tell you."

Sharon rubbed her left elbow with her right hand.

"Just never felt like the right time."

Steve and Sharon both sat back down in their original spots.

"How about now?" he asked.

Sharon sighed before she started.

"You defeated the Red Skull. Destroyed Hydra's Arctic Base. For a few years, everyone thought they were gone. But some of them survived. Baron Strucker. Madame Hydra. Daniel Whitehall. Heh. Funny enough, it was Peggy who finally proved they were still around. SHIELD and Hydra have been at each other's throats ever since."

Steve closed his eyes and placed his head back against the hull.

"They've tried to take over the world over a dozen times," said Sharon. "Every time, SHIELD steps in to stop them. Most don't know they're still around. How do you explain that a group of people who used to work for the Nazis still exist in the twenty-first century? But Hydra prefers it that way too. They like working in the shadows."

Sharon put her hands together.

"Many of the Hydra members had children who took up the cause. Zemo, Strucker, Whitehall. All of them are family names in Hydra. Not Madame Hydra though. She's still the same woman, even today."

Steve raised an eyebrow.

"She'd have to be . . . ."

"A hundred years old, yeah, I know," said Sharon, chuckling. "Doesn't look a day over twenty-five. Nobody knows how she pulled that one off."

Sharon then looked over at Steve and gave him a smirk.

"Then again, you managed that one too."

Steve and Sharon both laughed. Steve then let out a deep breath.

"So strange," he said. "Back in the war, I tried so hard to keep myself the same. To make sure I never lost my compassion, despite all the horrible things I saw. But even now, I realize, that on a certain level, I forgot that the members of Hydra were people as well. They committed so many atrocities, that even I forgot that they might have families."

Steve looked to the side.

"I didn't intend to kill Baron Zemo. We were assigned to capture him. We cornered him at his castle. He was working on some . . . . chemical weapon for the Skull. There was a struggle. The fight got out of hand. I threw him too hard, and he fell into a chemical vat. I tried to save him, but he was already gone."

Steve shrugged.

"By the next day, we had moved on to another mission. Didn't even stop to think that he might have had a wife and kids. And that's on me."

"You shouldn't blame yourself for something like that," said Sharon. "You didn't know."

"And this Zemo? Who is he?"

"I don't know. I thought the last Zemo was dead. Heinrich, son of the one you killed. I have no idea who this one's supposed to be."

Sharon sighed.

"Guess it's just another thing Fury kept from me."

"You and Fury."

Sharon slowly turned her head to look at Steve, who met her gaze.

"If I may, you two seem . . . . close. Closer than I've seen him be with anyone."

Sharon weakly smiled before looking forward again.

"Yeah. That's me and Fury."

"You called him by his first name back at the Capitol Building."

Sharon shuffled her feet.

"Yeah."

"Bit of a story there?"

"You could say so."

"We're gonna be here for a while."

Sharon knew he was right.

"You remember how I said I wasn't following in Peggy's footsteps when I joined SHIELD?"

Steve nodded.

"I was really following in Nick's. There was a time when I just wanted him to be proud of me. I wanted him to approve of the life I led. I wanted him to look at me and . . . ."

Sharon paused.

"But that's not the start. It all goes back to Peggy, and what she did."

"What did she do?"

"You won't want to hear it."

"Try me."

Sharon shook her head.

"Peggy . . . . never stopped being in love with you. She always was. Even when she got married to Grandpa and started her family, everyone knew her heart was somewhere else."

Steve felt his heart start to sink.

"She had two kids. Dad, and Aunt Claire. Kept her own name in the marriage. Even asked for her kids to keep Carter name alive. Grandpa would do anything for her, so he said yes. But it was never enough. She would always . . . . Dad told me, how she would compare the men in the family to you. Would always talk about how great you were, and how they would never live up to you."

Steve felt his eyes start to water.

"Wasn't always said out loud. Most of it was implied. She was always off working, but, when she was around, she couldn't stop talking or thinking about you. She never let it go. Never let you go. Grandpa . . . . Grandpa turned to drinking. Ruined his marriage, his relationship with his kids. He was trying to drown how inferior he felt. Drank himself into the grave."

Steve sighed as he put a hand on his forehead.

"Dad married Mom, and they had me and my brother. And Aunt Claire, well . . . . after Grandpa died, she wanted nothing to do with Peggy, so she left. Changed her name, last I heard. No idea where she is. Thought about trying to find her, but, never got around to it. Peggy tried to turn things around, but the damage was done. Even if he didn't say it, Dad never felt like he was good enough for anyone."

Sharon's cheeks turned red as tears fell out of her eyes.

"I know Peggy wanted to do better, but she never got the chance, because Hydra found out where we were living."

Steve gulped.

"They sent assassins after us. Found us at our cottage. It was on a lake."

Sharon smiled again.

"I remember fishing at that lake with my brother, David. We did everything together back then."

Sharon closed her eyes as she continued to cry.

"There was a fight at the house. I remember Mom trying to get me and David out of there. I was only twelve years old. I had no idea what was going on. I just remember being so scared, and hoping that maybe, somehow, we would all be okay."

Sharon sobbed and put her face in her hands for a moment. She then wiped her eyes and continued her story.

"I got out, and ran to the lake. I thought David was right behind me, but when I looked back, he wasn't there. Then the house exploded. I fell to the ground, and . . . . the next thing I remember, I was being carried."

Sharon looked back at Steve.

"It was Nick," she said, smiling through her tears. "He saved me. Told me what happened. That Peggy and I were the only survivors. The only two Carters left. But he said to me that from then on, he was going to take care of me. He said he would always keep me safe. He's the only person who ever felt like family to me after that."

"And Peggy?"

"Over time, I learned the truth about her. SHIELD. You. How Hydra only killed my mother, my father, and my brother because of her. And since then, I hated her with every bone in my body."

Sharon spoke through her sobs.

"She tried to patch things up between us, and I spat in her face. I hated her for caring more about you than her family. I hated her for surviving when everyone else died. I hated her just for existing. For so many years, I was just waiting for that woman to die. Only now, I see that spending so much time with that hate, that boiling acid in my heart . . . . I'm doing the same thing she did. Holding on to the past. It was just so painful, and . . . ."

Sharon couldn't go on. She was finally broken, and just let out her tears. Steve moved towards her, wrapping his left arm around her shoulders and placing his right hand on her knees. She leaned into him, clutching his right arm with her hands. He pressed his cheek against the top of her head, and gently cradled her as she cried.

After a while, the tears stopped, and Sharon rested her head against Steve's chest.


	8. Lineage

Earth-717: Captain America Vol 2

Chapter 8: Lineage

Zemo looked out the window with a blank, disinterested stare as the helicopter flew him over the city. The downpour of rain was heavy, ensuring that much of his field of vision was murky. He rubbed his palms together as he patiently waited for the helicopter to take him to his destination. Oksana was sitting next to him, but kept her eyes forward at all times.

After a few minutes, the rain started to thin out, and Zemo got a better look at the view out the window. He could see a massive ship waiting near a port. It was a custom-designed battleship, with thirty heavy artillery cannons across its length of two hundred and sixty metres. Many of its internal systems were automated, but there were still over three hundred human crew members aboard.

The ship was the end result of a multi-billion dollar construction project that Zemo had commissioned two years ago. Abigail had been the one who helped push through certain legal barriers to ensure that no one interfered with the project. Although some of the project's expenses were bankrolled by Hydra's laundering operations, the ship itself was legally Zemo's private property.

The ship was the _Deliverance_ , and it was finally ready to serve its purpose.

The helicopter lowered onto the _Deliverance_ 's landing strip. Zemo stayed still as Oksana opened the door on her side. After closing the door behind her, she took out her umbrella and opened it. She walked to the other side and opened the door for Zemo, holding the umbrella over him as he exited the helicopter.

Zemo ran his hands down the front end of his jacket as he started to walk forward. Oksana kept in step with him, holding the umbrella so that they were both shielded from the rain. A couple times, she quickly glanced at Zemo, but his gaze never wavered from the entrance to the ship's interior. Even though she had been promoted to his top lieutenant since she left the Mutant Response Division, she still found herself somewhat unnerved in his presence.

They arrived at the door, and Oksana opened it for him. Zemo did not acknowledge her gesture, and instead just continued to silently march forward as she closed her umbrella. Once they were inside, it was only a few short moments before they found themselves strolling through the crew decks. Whenever any of the crew members saw Zemo walking by, they instantly stood at attention.

Zemo, however, paid them no mind. Oksana looked around at some of the crew, seeing that they were anxious about what to do given that Zemo had ignored them. They whispered amongst themselves, with many of them never having actually met the man in person. They only knew what they had been told, and still that was enough to leave many of them quivering in their boots.

Together, Zemo and Oksana arrived at the bridge of the ship, where Captain Garcia and his officers awaited them. Just like the rest of the crew, they stood at attention when they saw Zemo approach.

"Baron on deck!"

Zemo took off his golden gloves as he walked into the room. He placed them inside of his jacket pockets as he looked around the bridge. Finally, he put his hands together behind his back.

"At ease."

The officers returned to their duties. Garcia kept his eyes on Zemo.

"Are we ready to move out?"

"At your command, Baron," answered Garcia. "The crew's settled in, and everything has been tailored to your specifications."

"Every specification?"

Garcia coughed.

"Every one I knew of, yes."

Zemo narrowed his eyes.

"Good."

He then turned to look out the front windows. Garcia gave Oksana a quick, worried glance, and she shook her head in return. Zemo paused for several seconds before turning back to his Captain.

"Bring me the prisoner, and tell my wife that I'm aboard. We're leaving now."

"Right away."

Within a few minutes, the ship departed from the port and started to head outwards to the ocean. Zemo then turned around as Abigail walked into the room, followed by two Hydra soldiers who were carrying Nick Fury. They threw him to the ground and then stood at the sides of the door. Abigail smiled at Zemo as she went to his side.

Fury grunted as he pushed himself up. He tried to get on his feet, but Oksana grabbed a stun baton off her belt and whacked him on the back with it.

"AGH!"

Fury violently coughed after his face slammed against the floor. Zemo and Abigail both smirked as Fury struggled to breathe. Oksana pointed the stun baton at his face.

"You will only kneel when in the Baron's presence," said Oksana. "We're in control now."

Fury got on his knees. In truth, he was not kneeling because he felt threatened, but rather because he was too exhausted to stand back up. Wiping blood off his face, he then glared up at Zemo, who clapped his hands together.

"Nicholas Fury," said Zemo. "Director of SHIELD. Welcome to the _Deliverance_ , my private ship. How honoured I feel to have you as my most distinguished guest."

Fury rolled his eye.

"Oh, spare me this shit. We're not in a Bond film, asshole."

Zemo held up his left index finger.

"Funny that you should say that, Director."

Zemo started to pace side to side as he spoke. Fury's gaze never left him.

"Despite my absolute contempt for certain countries and their corporate imperialism, I always enjoyed some of their films as a child. I was actually quite particular to James Bond films. Certainly, the character was nothing more than an idiotic tool for his warmongering capitalist masters, a piece of propaganda wrapped up in charisma and chauvinism. But there is something rather poignant about how he's managed to endure."

Zemo stopped in front of Fury and looked down at him.

"He's survived so many adventures, but that's just text. On a metatextual level, he's survived the the times even though he's a relic of the Cold War. He is reinvented, over and over, and passes on to each generation. The characters, the actors, they may be different, but the name, the legacy . . . . it lives on. Even to this day."

Zemo knelt down so that his face was level with Fury's.

"It's a lineage, Director. A very important lineage. The same kind that I come from. And, given what my wife has told me of her conversation with you, I suspect that you already have an idea of what lineage that is. The name, the legacy, that I carry with me."

Fury clenched his teeth.

"You're a Zemo."

"Indeed, I am."

"How?"

"You thought me dead? You thought my line wiped clean from this Earth, didn't you? You truly believed you had exterminated us. But no, Director, you failed in that task. And I will be honest, we couldn't resist letting you know just before our plans came together."

Zemo chuckled.

"You remembered that line. The one my father said to you when you killed his brother."

"Think on your sins," said Fury.

"Yes," said Zemo, standing up again. "That's the one."

Fury fumed as Zemo spoke about how he had killed his uncle. Zemo was talking about Herbert Zemo, the brother of Heinrich.

The Zemo who committed numerous acts of terrorism around the globe that forced SHIELD to chase him across three continents. The Zemo who Fury battled before he was the organization's Director. The Zemo who murdered Contessa Valentina Allegra de la Fontaine, Fury's team member, and, at the time, his fiance.

The Zemo that Fury had thrown off a cliff in Austria.

"But you didn't stop there, did you?" asked Zemo. "You remember that day. You remember it well. The day you murdered my mother and father."

Fury remembered. The day he personally led a mission to assassinate Heinrich Zemo in retaliation for ordering an attack on the Carter household. Fury was the one who fired the missile at the car as it drove across the Westminster Bridge. He had known that there would likely be collateral damage. He had known that Zemo's wife and young son were in the car.

But in that moment, he didn't care. All that mattered to him was revenge for Zemo's attack on the Carters. He wanted to finally put an end to the Zemo line.

He had watched as the car exploded and fell into the river. That was all he had time for before he had to escape to ensure that SHIELD would not be blamed for the attack, which would later be classified as a random and unsolved act of terrorism. It was one of the only SHIELD operations that never received an official file, classified or otherwise.

"I'll never forget that day," said Fury. "The day I thought you died."

"But I didn't die, Director. I survived, barely clinging to life. I was young, but as the last Zemo, I had a place in Hydra waiting for me. My inheritance. And ever since, I've watched and waited, hoping eventually for the day that I could finally pay you back for what you did to me."

Zemo stepped back to his wife's side. She smiled as he took her hand.

"And unluckily for you, the Zemo lineage has prospered since you tried to end it. My wife. She was the one who helped me get this far. Who ensured that the _Deliverance_ was given full authority to hunt down the renegade organization known as SHIELD."

Abigail chuckled. Fury glared at her.

"So, Senator Conway. What's your real name?"

She spoke, and this time, she had her real accent.

"Helen Zemo."

Helen stepped forward and bent towards Fury.

"And I have two beautiful children, Director. The next Zemos. The ones who will outlive you."

Fury stayed silent as Helen stood back up.

"But the Zemo line will not only outlive you, Director," said Zemo. "No. Soon, our family will be avenged, and yours will be destroyed. But you never had a wife. Children. That's not the lineage I will kill. No. Your family is SHIELD. All of your agents, they are your children. And now, they will all die, at the hands of a Zemo."

Zemo grinned.

"Helmut Zemo."

An officer then walked into the room carrying a pillow. On the pillow was a purple mask, a golden headpiece, and the Zemo family rapier. He bowed as he offered the pillow to Zemo.

"Ah. My family heirlooms. You remember these, don't you, Director?"

Fury closed his eye and turned his head down as Zemo put on the mask and the headpiece. After fitting his golden gloves back over his hands, he then reached out and seized the rapier. Holding it up for a moment, he then pointed it down towards Fury, who looked up in response. Zemo pressed the tip of the sword against Fury's neck.

"And only once you've seen this ship destroy the helicarrier, and kill your entire family, and you've felt true despair, then, and only then, will my sword taste your blood."

"You won't find them," said Fury.

"Oh, we will, Director."

Zemo then looked over his shoulder at Captain Garcia, who was looking at his instruments.

"Captain. How is our new detection system operating?"

"At full efficiency, Baron," said Garcia. "If they're anywhere in this ocean, we'll detect them within a matter of hours, cloaking technology or not."

"Excellent. Let me know when you've found them."

Fury shouted and got back up. Reacting instantly, Oksana once again bashed him in the back with her stun baton.

"ARGH!"

Fury moaned in pain as his face fell to the floor again.

"Do not worry, Director," said Zemo. "Your time will come."

* * *

Maria Hill had both of her hands on one of the consoles of the SHIELD control hub. She was looking down, and had not moved from that spot for hours. The entire command centre was empty, with most of the SHIELD agents on board the helicarrier spending time in the reserve quarters. Coulson then slowly walked into the room, taking care not to make too much noise. Still, Hill noticed him as soon as he arrived. He frowned as he looked at her.

"What do you need, Coulson?"

"Maria."

"That's not the way to address your commanding officer."

Coulson walked up to her side.

"Maria. You've been out here for hours."

Maria looked out the front window at the water. The helicarrier was cloaked and parked in the middle of the ocean.

"What else am I supposed to do? Fury's out there. He's in trouble, and I can't help him."

"He'll figure it out," said Coulson. "He always does. And when the time comes, we'll help him. Come on. Eat something. Rest. Everyone else is worried about you."

Maria nodded. She then followed Coulson away from the command centre.


	9. She Has a Shotgun

Earth-717: Captain America Vol 2

Chapter 9: She Has a Shotgun

"You know what I could totally go for right about now? A nice, big, juicy hamburger."

Steve chuckled as he and Sharon walked through a snowy forest. The winter frost had settled in on the woodland area, leaving it picturesque and calming. Even though the air was chilled, it was relatively light, leaving a soothing breeze in the air. Sharon's white combat suit that she had been wearing since their mission in Freetown perfectly matched the scenery.

Sharon held her hands out in front of her, holding an imaginary burger.

"Bigger the better. A thick hunk of meat. And I'm talking all the toppings, Rogers. Ketchup, mustard, barbeque sauce, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, hot peppers, bacon, cheese. All of it. And I want it greasy. I want to taste it and know that it's terrible for me. Awh. So good."

"You know, that doesn't sound half bad, actually," said Steve.

"Right?"

"I'll tell you something. Before the serum, I was a very skinny guy."

Sharon laughed.

"I knew that part."

"Used to go to this sandwich shop. Ron's. All the time."

Sharon raised an eyebrow as she listened to Steve.

"Knew the owner. My friend, Bucky, he would always go there with me. They made great sandwiches. Heh. But because I was so scrawny, I could never finish them. Gotta say, I was pretty sad when I got out of the ice and realized Ron's wasn't there anymore. So much of my world isn't there anymore."

"Not all of it is gone, Rogers. There's still a few things left. Good things."

Steve smiled at Sharon, who then turned and looked forward. The two of them got to the top of a hill, and stopped when they saw an industrial facility complex in a nearby clearing. There was also a landing strip for aircraft attached to the complex. Steve and Sharon dropped into a prone position, with Sharon checking the address in the data packet on her phone.

"This is the place."

Sharon then reached onto her belt and grabbed a small set of goggles. Strapping them on, she then tapped a small button on the side that transitioned them into binocular mode. Zooming in on the facility, she could see that there were multiple buildings in the complex, but only a handful of patrolling guards.

"Security's light," said Sharon. "They're not expecting trouble. Don't know what Zemo's doing here, but we'd better find out."

* * *

"Doctor Whitehall."

Whitehall turned to one his assistants in the control room of the complex. She was sitting at her station, and looking at footage from the facility's exterior security cameras.

"What is it?" asked Whitehall.

"Picking up two heat signatures on the exterior scanners. Humanoid. Should be in visual range in just a moment."

The assistant pressed a button on her console, magnifying one of the camera feeds to full screen mode. A second later, Steve and Sharon emerged into view, jumping over the perimeter fence and moving behind a parked truck.

"So," said Whitehall. "Captain America has found us. How interesting."

"I'll sound the alarm."

The assistant reached for a button on her console, but Whitehall blocked her.

"Don't."

"Sir?"

"Sounding the alarm will just delay our departure. We're almost ready to leave. I think it will be better if we allow them to walk into a trap, don't you think?"

The assistant nodded at Whitehall.

* * *

Steve held his shield at the ready, while Sharon had her pistol out. They were slowly making their way down a hallway, with both of them surprised at how silent the area was. Many of the offices had some furniture and miscellaneous items in them, but it appeared that they had been abandoned. Steve furrowed his brow as he saw a Hydra logo painted on the wall.

"Are they cleaning out?" asked Sharon. "I don't get it."

They got to the end of the hall, and arrived at a final door. Standing on either side, they prepared to breach it. Steve kicked the door down and rushed inside, with his shield held in front of him. Sharon followed right after, aiming her pistol at the room's corners. The room was completely empty, aside from a door on the other side.

Steve looked up and around the area. He then saw a light briefly shine from behind the door on the opposite side of the room. He took a few steps forward, leaving Sharon momentarily. Then, just as he crossed the middle of the room, a thick sheet of reinforced glass dropped from the ceiling. Sharon shouted as the glass dropped, and Steve barrel rolled forward to avoid being crushed.

The barrier landed with a resounding thud, instantly cutting off Steve and Sharon from each other. Sharon put her hands on the glass, and Steve bashed the barrier with his shield. The impact left no mark, and made them realize that they could not even hear anything from the other side of the barrier. Steve and Sharon looked at each other with worry as a holographic video screen appeared on both sides of the glass, showing Whitehall's face.

"Greetings, Captain America. And to you as well, Agent Carter."

Sharon scowled.

"You."

"Daniel Whitehall?" said Steve. "You look . . . ."

"You are correct, Captain. But I am not the Daniel Whitehall you knew. He was my father, and he passed both his name and his position in Hydra to me. Although he was a great man, he eventually passed on from this world. But I have continued his good work, and improved upon it. You remember the Corrupted Blood Virus, yes? He helped to create it. And now, with my own blood as the basis, I have developed the Theta virus, the one you saw in Sierra Leone. Brilliant work, wouldn't you say?"

Sharon rolled her eyes.

"Why is everyone in Hydra so fond of fancy speeches?"

Whitehall ignored her remark, with his interest seemingly being with Steve.

"I must say, Captain, it is so fascinating to see you in person. To know that you were the one who battled Hydra in the early days. To see that you have survived all this time, it is remarkable. But, like all things, your time must come to an end. However, I do want to present you as a gift to the Baron. He will be most pleased to get the chance to dispose of you himself, especially given that you murdered his grandfather."

At that moment, white gas was pumped into Steve's side of the room from vents in the floor.

"I wish I could chat more, but I have a schedule to keep. Farewell, heroes."

Steve started to repeatedly pound his shield against the glass barrier, but after a few strikes, he realized it was fruitless. Then, the door on his side opened, and a squad of Hydra commandos with gas masks and electrified batons stormed into the room.

Sharon pulled out her pistol and fired several shots at the barrier, but she fumed upon realizing that she was using her ICER, which rendered her shots useless against glass. She then gasped as Steve started to fight back against the Hydra commandos, but his energy was sapped by the gas. He fought valiantly, but was soon overtaken, and Sharon couldn't see him any longer once the gas completely filled the room.

"Steve!"

The door on Sharon's side of the room then opened, and two soldiers burst inside. One of them was holding an assault rifle, and the other one had a shotgun. They took aim, but Sharon was faster. She fired ICER shots at both of them, knocking them out. She then ran forward and peered around the door, seeing more Hydra soldiers making their way towards her.

Sharon looked down at her pistol for a moment, realizing that it wasn't going to be enough. She then thought about how far they had come, and what was at stake.

Fury needed her.

SHIELD needed her.

Steve needed her.

In that moment, she decided that she was not going to let them down.

Sharon reached down and picked up the shotgun, and also grabbed the soldier's ammunition packs. Strapping them to her belt, she then looked down at her new weapon. She smiled to herself, because the shotgun was her favourite weapon. Closing her eyes for a moment and taking a breath, she then pumped the weapon and pointed it around the corner.

She fired her first shot, blowing away the closest Hydra soldier. The rest of them stepped back in surprise, not expecting her attack. Taking their moment of surprise to her advantage, Sharon burst out and fired two more shots, putting holes through the chests of two more soldiers. Another one got back behind the corner and readied his assault rifle.

Sharon rushed towards him, so that when he peered around the corner, she was already almost on top of him. She bashed away his gun with the back of her own, before kicking him in the knee. He shouted in pain as he fell down. Sharon then jammed the barrel of her shotgun against his skull before pulling the trigger.

As the soldier's head exploded, Sharon looked up to see more Hydra commandos turning the corner at the far end of the hallway. Some of them had electrified batons and shields, while others had assault rifles. Quickly bending down and grabbing a grenade off the dead soldier's belt, she flicked off the pin and tossed the grenade forward.

"Grenade!"

The Hydra soldiers rushed away from the grenade, giving Sharon time to burst into a nearby office room which had more cover. The grenade exploded, blowing apart one of the soldiers as the rest of them filtered into the office area. Sharon quickly reloaded her shotgun as some of the Hydra soldiers laid down suppressing fire over her head.

Scowling, Sharon then peered out from the side of the desk she was hiding behind. Taking aim, she then fired another shotgun blast, severing a soldier's leg at the ankle joint. As he screamed and fell to the ground, she fired another blast at his head. She then got back behind the desk before kicking out at it with both legs.

The desk slammed against two of the soldiers, stunning them. Sharon burst back up to her feet, and blew away another soldier with a shotgun blast. She then jumped over the desk, kicking the other one in the face. A third soldier with an electrified baton took a swing at her, but she blocked it with her shotgun.

The soldier then jutted his shield forward, smashing her in the chest and causing her to drop her weapon.

"Ugh!"

Staggered by the attack, Sharon was then unable to dodge when the soldier jammed his baton against her stomach, electrifying her. She yelled in pain before throwing her shoulder forward, bashing the soldier across the face. She then grabbed the soldier's hand and forcibly jabbed him with his own baton.

As he fell back, she picked up her shotgun again and fired a blast at him. She then quickly turned around and slammed her boot down on the previous soldier's skull as he tried to pick himself off the floor. Once again reloading her shotgun, she then ran to the other side of the office. Suddenly, a voice from another nearby room yelled out.

"Release the creatures! Kill her!"

Sharon stopped in her tracks as she heard the sound of a laboratory tank open, followed soon after by a wailing screech. A few seconds later, a Theta beast tore through one of the doors ahead of her. It was on all fours, with much of its body ripped down the middle, with teeth lining the crevice. It scratched its claws against the ground as it growled at her.

Sharon narrowed her eyes.

"Try and stop me."

The beast roared before charging towards her. Sharon aimed her shotgun and fired once, blowing off a large chunk of flesh, but not stopping the creature's charge. As it leaped towards her, she fired another shot, killing the beast and causing it to flop to the floor. A second later, another Theta creature ripped through the wall behind her.

This one was a tall and thin cylindrical creature, with two legs but no arms. Instead, it had over a dozen thin, bladed tentacles writhing around the central cylinder. Sharon turned around and backed away from it as it slashed out at her with its tentacles. Barely avoiding one of its slashes, she then took aim and pulled the trigger, blowing the creature in half and splattering its blood all over the wall.

Running through the door that was torn apart, Sharon then sprinted through the lab that had contained the specimens. Another creature saw her and roared, but she just continued to run towards the other side. She tried to kick the door down, but it was locked. She then saw the nearby security panel. Shaking her head, she took aim at it and blew it apart with a shotgun blast.

The door instantly opened, and a scientist was on the other side. He shouted in fear as he saw the SHIELD agent. Sharon could hear the last Theta creature barrelling towards her from behind. Knowing that she needed to reload her gun, Sharon instead grabbed the scientist around the throat with one hand before tossing him towards the ravenous beast.

"NO!"

The Theta creature, which had a giant, spiral mouth with plenty of teeth on the inside, bit down on the screaming scientist. As it tore into his flesh with its teeth, Sharon took the opportunity to continue running down the hallway, reloading her shotgun as she moved. As she ran, more soldiers from nearby rooms opened fire on her.

Refusing to be stopped by anything, Sharon started running sideways and returned fire with a rapid succession of shotgun blasts. She was not even aiming at that point, rather just shooting randomly and operating on pure adrenaline. Once she was out of ammo, she shoulder charged the door at the end of the hall, finding herself outside.

Sharon's heart skipped a beat as she saw a large plane in the distance being loaded with some shipping containers. She could also see some Hydra soldiers boarding the loading ramp, with two of them carrying an unconscious Steve. Strapping her shotgun to her back, she then started running towards the plane.

The plane started moving down the landing strip after the last items were loaded. Sharon was in excellent physical shape, but even she was doubting whether she could cross the distance between herself and the plane in time. She was still a few dozen metres away. She breathed faster as she forced herself to sprint at her top speed.

"Come on. Come on. Stay alive for me. I'm coming for you, Cap. I'm coming!"

The loading ramp started to close as the plane picked up speed. She knew in that moment that she wasn't going to make it.

But then she remembered just how stubborn she could be.

Reaching down to her belt, she grabbed her grapple gun. Taking aim, she fired the grappling shot, and smiled as the hook latched onto the edge of the loading ramp. Clicking the button on the gun, she was then pulled forward as the line retracted. She was lifted into the air as the plane took off. As she reached the grappling hook, she rolled sideways and slid into the cargo area of the plane just before the loading ramp closed.

Sharon landed inside and breathed a sigh of relief. She then found a place to hide as she waited to see where Whitehall's plane was taking them.


	10. Hydra on the High Seas

Earth-717: Captain America Vol 2

Chapter 10: Hydra on the High Seas

Maria Hill walked into Science Team's lab, followed by Coulson. Fitz, Simmons, May and Triplett were already present, and they all turned around upon seeing the acting director enter the room. Hill looked at each agent in turn, and saw that they all had grim faces on.

"Coulson said you had something to show me?"

"We do, ma'am," said Simmons.

The agents then gestured towards the nearby computer. Katherine Waynesboro was sitting at the station, and she glanced over her shoulder at Hill. Like the others, she too looked very disheartened. Everyone gathered around her computer station.

"What is it, Waynesboro?" asked Hill.

Kate gulped.

"We've got something on the scanners, ma'am."

"And?"

Kate blinked, and looked back at the rest of the agents.

"It's a ship, ma'am," said Triplett. "A big one. And it's headed our way."

"How could they have found us?"  
"We don't know."

"Are you sure they're not just passing by?"

"Kate already checked," said May. "We're in the middle of nowhere. There should be no ships of this size anywhere near this area. And its trajectory is exact."

"It's a battleship, ma'am," said Kate, trembling. "It's coming for us. I'm sure of it."

Fitz and Simmons held each other close, both of them frowning. Hill put her hands on her hips and turned around, seemingly at a loss for words. Triplett sighed. May and Coulson gave each other worried glances. Hill then turned around and looked back at Kate.

"How long would it take to move the helicarrier?"

Fitz shook his head.

"Ma'am, we're in minimum power mode because of Condition Zero," said Fitz. "We can't outrun a ship like that in the water, and it'd take at least twenty minutes before we could get the helicarrier in the air. I would know. I helped design the engines."

"And that ship will be in firing range in less than ten," said May.

The blood drained from Maria's cheeks. She then put both of her hands on a nearby chair, taking a few moments just to think through their options. They couldn't fight, and they couldn't flee. And she knew in her heart that there was no way that the ship's arrival was a coincidence.

"Ma'am?" asked Coulson. "What do we do?"

Hill blinked and looked at her agents with saddened eyes.

"I don't know."

* * *

Zemo narrowed his eyes as he stared out at the front window of the bridge. Helen was standing at his left side, with Oksana at his right. Fury was still on the bridge, having now been handcuffed and placed on a chair. An armed guard was standing watch over Fury at all times. He scowled as he looked up at his guard for a moment, who paid no attention to the gesture.

"Almost within range, Baron," said Garcia.

"And you're certain it's them?"

"Unless you know of another aircraft carrier sized vessel that's trying to hide in the middle of the ocean with invisibility tech. It's them."

Zemo then turned around to face Fury.

"Director. Aren't you going to try and persuade me away from this course of action? Appeal to my humanity, perhaps?"

"I don't beg," said Fury.

"A pity. I would've enjoyed that."

Oksana then pulled her phone out of her pocket as it vibrated. She looked down at a text that she had just received.

"Baron," she said.

"Hmm?"

"It's Whitehall. His plane's about to arrive."

Oksana then looked down at her phone again as a second text came in. What she read caused her to smile.

"And he says he has a present."

"What kind of present?" asked Helen.

"The kind that comes in a red, white and blue costume," said Oksana.

* * *

Sharon stayed absolutely still as the plane landed on board the _Deliverance_. Soon enough, Whitehall and his troops disembarked from the plane, with two soldiers escorting Steve. He had since regained consciousness and been restrained with durable steel cuffs. Once they were gone, Sharon made her way out from behind one of the large shipping containers.

Crouching behind the plane, Sharon saw that the _Deliverance_ was indeed in the middle of the ocean. During the journey, she had overheard some of the Hydra soldiers discussing how they were going to meet Baron Zemo on his private battleship, and how they were about to enact his master plan to destroy SHIELD.

She also heard that Nick Fury was Zemo's personal prisoner.

Sneaking her way along the edges of the ship, Sharon soon found a patrolling guard making his rounds. Making sure that no one else was close enough to see, she then pounced on him from behind. She placed her left hand over his mouth as she used her right hand to plunge her knife into his sternum. After stabbing him twice and stealing his pistol off his belt, she then tossed him overboard.

After taking a second to breathe, Sharon looked upwards at a catwalk directly above her head. Using one of the nearby poles as a support, she stood on top of the railing at the ship's edge. She then jumped up and grabbed hold of the catwalk with both hands. Pulling herself up, she then vaulted over the catwalk's railing and landed in a crouched position.

A couple minutes later, Sharon had made her way inside the ship, managing to maintain her stealth the entire time. Once she heard the sound of Steve's voice, she knew that she had found the bridge. Holding her pistol at the ready, she then placed her back against the wall. She didn't try to get a look around the corner, but instead just quietly listened.

". . . . never thought I'd see that mask again."

"Oh, but of course, Captain," said Zemo. "To you, Grandfather was just another villain to be killed. But he was not the last Zemo, nor will I be. But you, Captain . . . . I regret to say that you survived to the modern day for nothing. You will be the one and only of your kind. And SHIELD? They will die with you."

Sharon closed her eyes and exhaled as silently as she could. She then peered around the corner. She saw Zemo and Steve facing each other, with two guards at his sides. His shield was placed against a nearby wall. Whitehall was there, holding a metallic canister with had a glass segment that revealed a purple liquid inside. Helen was standing next to Zemo, which did not surprise Sharon at all.

And then there was Fury. He was sitting on a chair, handcuffed. A guard was standing next to him with an assault rifle. From her angle, she couldn't see Fury's face, but she could tell that he was bruised and exhausted. She frowned as she thought about how much pain, both physical and emotional, he must have been experiencing at that moment.

"Baron," said Captain Garcia, who was not in Sharon's line of sight. "We're now in range."

"Prepare all cannons to fire," said Zemo.

All of the _Deliverance_ 's artillery cannons simultaneously aimed in the same direction. The fearsome battleship was positioned parallel to the helicarrier, which was still invisible due to its cloaking matrix. However, the _Deliverance_ 's detection systems were clear. The helicarrier was there, and it was only seconds away from being annihilated.

"Cannons aimed and ready," said Garcia.

"Fire on my mark," said Zemo.

Sharon knew her time was now.

"Three . . . ."

Pulling a tiny disc out of her pocket, Sharon then tapped a button on it.

"Two . . . ."

Crouching down, Sharon then threw it along the floor, and the disc slid into the room. Fury noticed it at the last moment, and immediately recognizing what it was, instinctively turned his face away and shut his eye.

"One . . . ."

Less than a second later, the device created an explosion of bright light and sound, blinding and deafening everyone in the room. In that moment, everything seemed to stop. Sharon marched out from behind the corner, with her pistol at the ready. She prioritized her targets, and took the shots as she moved forward.

One, blowing apart the head of the guard next to Fury.

Two, straight through the neck of the soldier on Steve's left.

Three, crushing the jaw of the soldier on Steve's right.

Four, punching a hole in Garcia's skull.

As blood, bone and brain matter splattered on the walls, Sharon reached down and grabbed Steve's shield. He turned around and watched as she lifted it into the air.

"Steve!"

Sharon swung the shield downwards, cutting through Steve's cuffs. He then seized the shield with both hands before turning back around and holding it in front of him. He barely managed to hold up his shield in time as Zemo, who had since recovered, pulled out his own pistol and fired three shots at him.

Zemo yelled in anger, and Steve then swung his shield horizontally, bashing the villain across the face. He was launched into the air and tumbled over Garcia's control station, with his body slamming hard against the front window. Whitehall had fallen to the floor, Helen screamed, and Oksana leaned against the wall as she tried to shake off her disorientation.

Steve and Sharon stood back to back.

"Cap."

"Agent Carter."

Fury looked up at Sharon in shock.

"Sir," said Sharon, with a smile.

Sharon then fired a shot at Fury's handcuffs, shattering them. Zemo snarled as he pushed himself off the floor.

"KILL THEM!"

Helen, Whitehall and the non-combat support staff all fled the bridge as Oksana pulled out a magnum. She fired a shot at Sharon, but Steve stood in the way and blocked it with his shield. Sharon then saw multiple Hydra soldiers come down another nearby hallway, and opened fire with her pistol. As the battle raged around him, Fury grabbed a pistol from one of the fallen Hydra troops and left the room through another exit, limping as he did so.

Zemo quickly rejoined the fray, with Steve turning to face the villain. Oksana tried to aim her magnum at Steve as he turned, but Sharon performed a roundhouse kick, knocking the gun out of her hand. As Sharon faced forward again, she aimed her own pistol, only to find herself thwarted by a quick, downward hand chop from Oksana.

With both women now deprived of their firearms, they had to resort to physical combat. Oksana went for a kick to Sharon's chest, but the SHIELD agent dodged before countering with a forward jab. Hitting her enemy in the jaw, Sharon followed up with another punch, but Oksana caught her fist and used her leverage to heave Sharon over her shoulder. The Hydra assassin tried to bring her fist down on her opponent's head, but Sharon moved out of the way just in time.

As the duel between Sharon and Oksana continued, Steve and Zemo were engaged in a fierce battle of their own. Zemo sliced his sword side to side, but Steve managed to deflect all of his blows. Realizing he was on the defensive for too long, Steve attacked with a left kick. Striking Zemo in the side of his leg, Steve then followed up with shield charge.

However, Zemo was more agile than the Avenger had anticipated. Zemo sidestepped the attack, before quickly spinning around and slicing Steve along the back. Steve cringed as he threw his elbow backwards, smacking Zemo in the face. Steve went for another shield swing, but Zemo was ready, striking it with his sword.

Sparks flew as the shield and sword clashed.

* * *

After gunning down another Hydra soldier, Fury turned the corner and trudged through a door to one of the exterior decks. Holding his side with his free hand, he took a few steps forward to see Helen being hurriedly escorted towards a helipad by two soldiers. Picking up his own pace, Fury fought through the pain to catch up to them.

Aiming his pistol as he moved, Fury shot one of Helen's guards in the back. The other turned around, only for Fury to put a round through his chest. Helen felt like her blood stopped in her veins as she looked at him, seeing that he had her dead to rights.

"How fast situations can change," said Fury.

Helen gulped and held up one of her hands.

"Fury, wait . . . ."

"It's always a good day when I can kill a Zemo."

"Don't . . . .!"

Fury pulled the trigger. Helen gasped as the bullet struck her in the heart. She staggered back and pressed her hand against her dress, feeling the blood soaking her clothes. Fury narrowed his eye as he fired another shot, which sent Helen falling over the edge of the helipad. Her body fell into the ocean, never to be seen again.

* * *

Steve and Zemo both strained themselves as they pressed their weapons against the other, deadlocked for a few short seconds. However, Steve's superior strength eventually won out, shoving Zemo back and giving Steve an open shot at a follow up attack. At this moment, Oksana, who had managed to punch Sharon away from her, saw that Zemo was in trouble, and interfered with an unexpected jumping kick.

Steve barely had time to see the incoming attack before Oksana's boot was colliding with his face. He fell back, but recovered fast enough to block another kick with his shield. Bashing Oksana's leg away, he then threw up his arm to parry a spin kick from her other leg. Pulling out one of her knives, she then swung it downward, but Steve moved out of the way before delivering an uppercut that knocked the assassin back.

At that same moment, Sharon rolled out of the way of a horizontal slash from Zemo. She dived for her pistol, seizing it with her right hand. Just as she was turning around so she could aim up at the villain, he pressed his foot against her throat. Zemo held his sword with both hands as he prepared to plunge it directly into her head.

However, he was caught off guard by Steve, who shouted as he leaped forward, holding his shield out in front of him with both hands. Steve threw his weight against Zemo's side, bashing him off of Sharon and to the other side of the room. Sharon quickly got back to her feet, only to have Oksana tackle her, with the two women smashing through one of the bridge's windows and falling to the exterior of the ship.

As Oksana started to get back to her feet, she heard a gunshot. She looked up to see Helen being shot in the chest and falling off the edge of the helipad. Her eyes widened as she watched her disappear into the waves. The lines of her face softened, completely in shock at what had just occurred. She was frozen just long enough for Sharon to deal a powerful spinning kick to her face, knocking her out.

Sharon then looked over her shoulder, and saw Whitehall running back towards his plane, still carrying his canister with him. She sneered as she watched him flee.

"Oh no you don't."

Sharon ran after the Hydra scientist. Once she was close enough, she stopped and aimed her pistol. She took the shot, putting a round through his left knee. Whitehall shouted as he collapsed to the floor. As he fell, his canister smashed on the ground, and the thin glass segment cracked. Purple mist seeped out of the canister, and Whitehall breathed it in.

Sharon gulped as she watched it happen.

"No," said Whitehall. "No . . . ."

Whitehall's chest burst open, and two tentacles emerged from it. They wrapped themselves around the canister as his back suddenly snapped from the internal growth spurts. The skin on his face ripped itself apart as squirming bits of flesh and serrated pieces of bone shifted out of place. He then suddenly leaped into the air and fell into the water, pulling the canister with him.

Sharon lowered her gun, not sure what to do after seeing what happened to Whitehall. A few short seconds later, she heard a strange rumbling sound. Taking a step towards the ship's railing, she looked over it to see a haunting orange glow coming from under the water. At that moment, the _Deliverance_ lurched, as if it was being struck by something massive.

Sharon gasped as two enormous tentacles suddenly burst out of the ocean, each one looking like a tower made of flesh. She then scrambled away as they lowered, seemingly intending to crush her.


	11. Fried Calamari

Earth-717: Captain America Vol 2

Chapter 11: Fried Calamari

"That is not what I think it is."

Coulson cleared his throat.

"I don't know what you want me to say."

Hill blinked repeatedly, wondering that if she did it enough, perhaps her grip on reality would return. But it was real. A gargantuan, tentacled monster was now attacking the _Deliverance_. At least six tentacles of various sizes were now visible, with some of them wrapping around the ship and others just sticking into the air.

Hill, Coulson, May, Triplett, Kate, Fitz and Simmons were all staring out the window, watching the entire ordeal. Only a few short minutes ago, they thought the _Deliverance_ was going to destroy the helicarrier and kill everyone on board. While their current situation was certainly an improvement, they were all still feeling terrified at what might happen next.

Coulson then pointed forward.

"Look!"

Everyone narrowed their eyes as they looked at the front end of the ship. Steve and Sharon could barely be seen standing together, facing down the monstrous beast as its body slowly emerged from the beneath the waves.

"Cap?" said Hill.

"They must have stopped whoever was piloting the ship," said May. "Looks like now they're the ones in trouble."

"Well what are we going to do?!" asked Simmons. "We can't just let them fight that thing by themselves! They'll surely die!"

"I know, I know!" said Fitz, bouncing on the spot.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"I was tinkering in the lab while we were stuck here, and I finally figured out the power source for my latest weapon design."

"The Incinerator Cannon?" asked Simmons.

"No, Jemma. It's the Incinerator Beam. Beam!"

Fitz scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I mean, I guess it's also a cannon, that like, fires a beam. I, uh . . . ."

"Okay, no one cares what it's called," said Hill. "Will it help them?"

"Well, yeah," answered Fitz. "It's an advanced prototype weapon that fires superheated plasma! Should burn through just about anything, including sea monsters! Should be a bit more effective than, you know . . . . bullets, or uh, throwing stuff at it."

Coulson looked visibly offended by the way Fitz talked about Steve's shield.

"Go," said Hill. "We need to get it to them, now."

"I'll fly you over," said May. "You two geniuses better hurry."

"Right away," said Fitz and Simmons in unison.

In just under a minute, Fitz and Simmons had bolted straight back to their lab and obtained the Incinerator Beam. Because of their small size and lack of physical strength, they had to work together to carry the giant weapon. They hauled it to the hangar, where May was waiting for them inside of a Quinjet with the loading ramp open.

"You know, we've been through a lot lately," said Simmons. "Between being chased by a gamma monster, fighting off a crazy scientist and now flying into a battle with a giant squid, we've been doing a lot of dangerous stuff. I mean, on one level it's quite thrilling, but didn't we sign up to be Science Team and not, you know . . . . heroes?"

Fitz shook his head.

"We signed up to be agents of SHIELD, Jemma. This is the job."

"Wow. That's . . . . that's very brave of you."

Fitz weakly laughed.

"Maybe. Still pissin' my pants while we're doing it, though."

Simmons shrugged.

"Well, we do everything else together."

Fitz and Simmons sat down in the jet as May closed the ramp.

* * *

After rolling out of the way of another tentacle swipe, Sharon aimed her pistol at the creature and fired more shots. Her bullets struck the monster's flesh, but did not seem to have any effect. Holstering her pistol, she then pulled her shotgun off her back and held it ready. At that moment, Steve leaped out of the smashed window from the bridge and landed on the deck.

He ran up to Sharon's side and looked up at the tentacles in dismay.

"Anyone want to tell me what that is?"

"Daniel Whitehall."

"What?"

"Er, Daniel Whitehall on his own virus."

"What?"

Sharon threw her head back and rolled her eyes. She was so exacerbated with the situation that she finally snapped and launched into a tirade, despite the fact that a ravenous sea beast was only a few seconds away from killing them.

"I dunno how all this science crap works, man! I just work here! This is my nine to five! Going around the world, protecting people and shooting bad guys! That's what I get paid for! I don't know anything about goddamn virus octopus monsters! You think I enjoy doing this overtime crap?! I wanna go home, order a pizza, sit on my couch and get back to Netflix! I wanna catch up on _House of Cards_! I haven't even finished the second season!"

Another tentacle headed for Sharon.

"Watch out!" yelled Steve.

Sharon nonchalantly aimed her shotgun at the tentacle and pulled the trigger. The blast blew apart some of the suckers, piercing the flesh and causing the tentacle to bleed onto the deck. Another tentacle swiped horizontally, intending to strike Steve. In response, he threw his shield towards it, smacking the tentacle and causing it to retreat.

"Any ideas on how to handle this?" asked Steve.

"Well, bullets don't seem to be working. I'm gonna guess whacking it with your shield won't do much either. No offense."

Steve and Sharon were both jostled as two large tentacles slammed down on the back end of the _Deliverance_ before wrapping themselves around. The body of the creature then emerged from the water, and the two heroes stared at it in a mixture of awe and disgust. The body was fifty metres long, with several displaced eyes and an irregular bone structure that made the face look like a parallelogram. The mouth then opened, revealing three orange tongues and hundreds of jagged teeth.

The monstrous creature roared, with the volume of its bellow causing both Steve and Sharon to cringe in pain. It then bit down on the edge of the ship, breaking off a section. The ship tipped, and both heroes fell to the floor. Steve slammed the edge of his shield into the deck, using it as an anchor. He then grabbed Sharon's hand and held on, clenching his teeth as he strained his muscles.

* * *

Oksana nearly tumbled over as the ship lurched, but she managed to maintain her footing. Scrambling back onto the bridge, she then found Zemo, unconscious and slumped on the floor. She yanked his mask off and smacked him repeatedly on the cheek to try and wake him up.

"Zemo! Zemo!"

Zemo abruptly awoke, and looked up at Oksana in confusion.

"Sir, we have to evacuate!"

Zemo then jumped back as he saw a giant tentacle through one of the windows.

"What is . . . .?"

"Whitehall's virus," said Oksana. "Come on!"

Oksana hurriedly grabbed Zemo's wrist and started to run away, leading him down one of the hallways. The ship lurched again, causing them to stumble. A few moments later, they heard a ferocious roar, causing them both to look over their shoulders in fear.

"Come on!" repeated Oksana.

The two villains ran onto the deck, making their way back to Zemo's private helicopter. As they did, they saw numerous Hydra personnel abandoning the ship in lifeboats. Oksana sprinted straight for the helicopter, banging on the door with both hands. The pilot quickly opened the door so that they could get on.

A couple more Hydra soldiers who were nearby saw that the helicopter was being boarded and ran over to it. Oksana, Zemo and the soldiers jumped inside. One of the support staff from the bridge was lagging behind, but Oksana held the door open and beckoned her. As the woman got on, Zemo looked around and frowned.

"Where's Helen?!"

Oksana closed the door and tapped the pilot on the shoulder. The pilot started to take off, and Zemo burst out of his seat.

"Wait!"

Oksana put both of her hands on Zemo's shoulders.

"She's dead!"

Oksana felt her heart sink when she saw the pain in Zemo's eyes.

"She was shot," said Oksana, her voice hollow. "I saw it. She fell off the ship. I'm . . . ."

Zemo slowly sat back down.

"I'm sorry."

Zemo looked away, no longer willing to say anything more. Oksana sat back down as the helicopter lifted away from the _Deliverance_. Zemo stared down at the ship, watching with a blank stare as the sea monster started to tear it apart.

All of his work, all of his plans, all of his hopes.

Gone.

* * *

"Ugh!"

Steve and Sharon both clambered back to their feet after the sea monster moved back from the ship, allowing it to level out. A second later, a set of twin missiles struck the side of the beast's body, causing it to roar out in pain. As it lowered itself back under the water, the two heroes looked up to see a Quinjet flying overhead.

Fitz and Simmons were standing on the open loading ramp. They were both brightly smiling as they held up the Incinerator Beam.

"Thought we could lend a hand!" they shouted out in unison.

The Quinjet lowered, and Steve and Sharon both smiled. But then, the beast burst out of the water, and lashed out with a tentacle faster than anyone could have expected. It smacked against the edge of the Quinjet's wing, jostling both Fitz and Simmons, causing them to drop the Incinerator Beam. Sharon caught it, but then looked up in fear as Fitz fell off the edge of the ramp.

"FITZ!"

Simmons desperately reached out with both hands, managing to seize him by his left wrist at the last second. She pulled upwards with all of her strength, giving him a chance to grab the edge with his other hand. May gasped as another tentacle reached for the Quinjet. She sharply turned just as Fitz was climbing back aboard, and the two scientists tumbled back inside the jet as the loading ramp closed.

The Quinjet narrowly avoided the tentacle's attack. Sharon then looked over at Steve as she held the Incinerator Beam.

"Let's see what this thing can do," said Sharon, playfully smiling.

The beast roared again as it clamped its jaws down on the edge of the ship. Sharon flicked the power switch on the Incinerator Beam, and aimed it forward as it charged. Once a green light flashed on the side of the cannon, Sharon pulled the trigger. The cannon fired a beam of pure white superheated plasma, which bored a giant hole through the creature's body.

The beast loudly shrieked and violently shook in response. It then slammed two of its tentacles down on the front end of the ship, once again tipping it forward. Sharon managed to stop her descent by jutting out her foot against a piece of debris that was lodged into the floor, but Steve tumbled even further downward, only stopping himself by bashing his shield against the front of the creature's face.

"STEVE!"

Steve pushed hard against the creature, keeping it from opening its mouth and swallowing him whole. Sharon widened her eyes in horror as she saw that the ship was being lifted further into the air, reaching a dangerous angle. Longer tentacles that reached the back end of the ship started to tear it apart into smaller sections. Within a few seconds, the entire ship would be crushed.

"TAKE THE SHOT!" yelled Steve.

The green light flickered on. Sharon's heart nearly stopped. She had the beast in her sights, but she knew that there was every chance that it wouldn't be the only thing she would kill.

"DO IT!"

"I CAN'T! YOU'LL DIE!"

"DO IT NOW!"

With tears in her eyes, Sharon did the only thing she could.

She took the shot.

Everything after that was a blur. The ship fell out of the air, the beast roared as its flesh was incinerated, and suddenly, Sharon collided with the water.


	12. Sharon Carter

Earth-717: Captain America Vol 2

Chapter 12: Sharon Carter

"There!"

Fury pointed out at the sea. He was in the passenger seat of May's Quinjet, having been picked up as the wreckage of the _Deliverance_ sank. Fitz and Simmons were also in the cockpit, jumping up and down as they tried to get a good look. May looked down to see Sharon treading water while also keeping Steve's unconscious body afloat.

May flew the Quinjet towards them, and a minute later, Fury and Science Team helped pull both Steve and Sharon aboard. They laid Steve on the floor, facing upwards, as the loading ramp closed and the jet lifted off. Sharon tossed the shield to the side before kneeling down next to Steve's body. He looked just as cold and lifeless as the time he was pulled out of the ice.

Fury frowned when he saw the look on Sharon's face. She then started to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation, rapidly compressing his chest with her hands. Fitz and Simmons sat down and held onto each other as they watched her desperately trying to save Steve's life.

"Come on," said Sharon. "Come on, Cap. You can do it."

Sharon then opened Steve's mouth and pressed her lips to his. She breathed air into his windpipe twice before resuming her compressions. She carefully checked her own breathing, making sure she was not hyperventilating as she tried to revive Steve. But Fury knew Sharon better than anyone. He couldn't believe it, but he saw genuine fear in her eyes.

"Come on!"

Sharon breathed into Steve's mouth again. Checking for a pulse, she still received none. She went back to compressions, even faster this time. Simmon buried her face in Fitz's shoulder. Fury closed his eye.

"You didn't survive this long to die like this," said Sharon. "COME ON!"

Sharon pressed down on his chest again, and Steve suddenly spat out water. Her eyes widened in shock. Sharon, Fury, Fitz and Simmons all smiled as Steve took a breath.

"And here . . . . I thought . . . . you said we . . . . weren't friends . . . ."

Sharon sighed with relief as Steve sat up. She then reached for him and wrapped both arms around his chest, holding onto him as if he were the most important person in the world. Steve closed his eyes and smiled as he held her close. She then rubbed her cheek against his, and the two heroes just spent a couple minutes holding the embrace.

They then pulled back and looked into each other's eyes, leading to a perfect moment.

The moment was ruined when Fitz and Simmons started to giggle.

"Oh," said Simmons. "Oops. Sorry."

Fury chuckled at Sharon. She bit her lip as she looked up at him.

"I'm never gonna live this one down, am I?"

Fury shook his head.

"Hell no."

She smirked in response.

* * *

Zemo approached the front door of his house. As he did, his phone started to vibrate. Taking it out of his pocket, he stood just outside the door as he answered it.

"Zemo."

"I received your message, Baron."

"Listen, everything was going to plan, but I . . . ."

"I care not for your pathetic excuses. I merely called to commend you for your audacity. To think, that you would come begging for help after you abandoned the rest of the Hydra High Council to pursue your own goals. You made it clear that you did not share our vision, Baron."

Zemo fumed.

"The Zemo line has been with Hydra since its birth. There are still sects that are loyal to me. I am sorry for my recent actions, but I saw an opportunity to . . . ."

"An opportunity that you squandered. Billions lost, hundreds dead. And SHIELD is still alive. You have failed us, Baron. You have failed yourself. We have nothing further to discuss."

"Don't you dare!"

"Hydra will survive without the Zemos. However, I sincerely doubt the Zemos will survive without Hydra."

The line cut out. Taking a second to breathe, Zemo then burst through the door of his house.

"Herman! Hynden!"

"Mister Conway?"

Zemo turned into the living room to see Rose sitting on the couch with his children, all of them watching television. Herman and Hynden both jumped up upon seeing their father.

"Papa!"

Hynden ran straight for Zemo, grabbing him around the legs.

"You're home early, Mister Conway," said Rose.

"Yes, yes, something, uh . . . . something came up."

"Where's Mama?" asked Herman, joining his sister.

Zemo knelt down in front of his kids.

"Listen to me, both of you. We need to leave, right now."

"What?" they asked in unison.

"No arguments. We're leaving right this minute."

Hynden sulked.

"But what about my . . . ."

"I'll have people come back and pack some of our possessions. If you have something you can carry with you, that's fine, but we're leaving this instant."

"But . . . ."

"NO ARGUMENTS!"

Herman and Hynden were both stunned into silence. They then nodded as Zemo stood back up and approached Rose. She gulped as he walked up to her.

"Mister Conway, I don't . . . ."

Zemo held out another stack of bills. He quickly shoved them into her hands.

"Thank you," he said. "Your services are no longer required. You're to leave immediately, never come back . . . . and never speak of working here. Is that understood?"

Rose hurriedly nodded.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Get out."

Rose rushed out of the room. Herman and Hynden both frowned at her as she left. She gave a quick wave to the two of them before she hurried out the door. Zemo then ushered his children out of the house, leading them towards a car that was parked just outside the front door. He slammed the door behind him as they got to the car.

"Come on, come on!"

"Okay, Papa, okay!"

Zemo opened the door to the back seat, and the children clambered inside. He then got into the passenger seat. Oksana was driving the vehicle.

"Go."

Oksana hit the gas, and a few seconds later, they were on the road. Herman looked back at the house with a frown. Hynden raised an eyebrow as she looked at Oksana from behind.

"Papa, who is that?"

Zemo looked over his shoulder.

"This is Oksana. She's a friend. She'll be staying with us for the next little while, once we get things settled at a new house."

"New house?" asked Herman. "What's wrong with the old one?"

"We're not going back, Herman. We're moving somewhere new. Don't worry, we'll be fine."

"But where's Mama?" asked Hynden.

Oksana briefly glanced at Zemo. He sighed as his two children stared at him, obviously eager for an answer that he was dreading to give.

"Mama . . . . is gone. She's not coming back. I'm sorry."

Herman looked down, knowing what his father meant. Hynden tilted her head.

"Where did she go?" asked Hynden.

Zemo closed his eyes and took a moment both to clear his throat and mentally prepare himself.

"To heaven."

* * *

"Mister President."

Ellis stood still as Fury, Steve and Sharon were escorted into a private consultation room by armed guards. The heroes had not been allowed to carry any weapons into the meeting. Even Steve's shield had been confiscated. After the door was closed, Ellis brushed a hand down the front of his suit.

"This meeting is a courtesy, Nick. Because of our friendship. And because you said you were willing to surrender. So tell me . . . . what happened?"

"SHIELD was framed for the Capitol Hill bombing. By Abigail Conway."

"Senator Conway was given authority to dismantle SHIELD. Where is she now?"

"Dead."

"How?"

Fury shrugged.

"I shot her. Twice."

Ellis fumed.

"You just admitted to murdering a United States Senator. I certainly hope you have a good explanation for this, as well as proof that she was the one that framed you."

Steve and Sharon both glanced at each other with worried faces. Fury stayed calm.

"I have all the proof I need."

Fury then took off his eye patch and held it out to Ellis.

"Right here."

Ellis took the eye patch and looked at it.

"I don't understand."

"Miniature ocular lens," said Fury. "Built into the patch. It's a recording device. In it, you'll find video and audio recording of Abigail Conway admitting to actually being Helen Zemo, wife of Baron Helmut Zemo, member of Hydra. They said a hell of a lot of other incriminating stuff too. Helps that they thought I was gonna die."

Ellis looked back up at Fury.

"My Science Team will get the video data off the patch and send you a copy within the hour. You should know by now, Mister President, that I always keep both eyes open. And . . . . that I'm on your side."

Ellis nodded as he handed the patch back to Fury.

"Let them out," said Ellis, looking at the guards. "They're free to go. After we confirm the data, everyone at SHIELD will be given a full pardon."

"Thank you, sir," said Fury.

Fury, Steve and Sharon turned away as one of the guards opened the door.

"And Nick?"

Fury stopped and looked over his shoulder.

"Keep doing good work out there."

"Yes, sir."

Sharon let out a deep breath, as the three of them exited the room. She started to walk alongside Fury, with Steve at her other side.

"Always another trick up your sleeve?"

"Learned a long time ago that you always need to have another ace in the hole. It's the only way to stay ahead. If I hadn't set up Condition Zero, installed that ocular lens, hell . . . . if I hadn't paired up you and Cap, Zemo would've had us all nailed to the wall. Keeping the world safe is a dangerous game. And I've always been the best player on the board."

Fury turned to look at his companions.

"That's what Senator Conway missed out on," said Fury. "Despite her intentions, she made some valid points about the work we do. But our work is always a gamble. No way out of that. All we can do is our best, and I believe we all did that."

Fury then looked at Sharon.

"Especially you."

"Just doing my job."

Fury placed his hands on Sharon's shoulders.

"Think we both know you go way beyond just doing your job."

Sharon smiled.

"Sharon . . . . I never got the chance to do certain things in my life. You helped make up for some of that. Watching you grow, seeing the woman you've become . . . . you've made me proud."

Sharon and Fury embraced, and she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. After they pulled away, Fury's phone rang. He pulled it out of the inside of his jacket and placed it next to his ear.

"Fury."

"Director. She's gone."

"What? When?"

"An hour ago."

* * *

"And we are gathered here to honour a woman who was so many things to so many people. A mother. A friend. A hero to all those who knew her. Margaret Carter was the last surviving founding member of SHIELD. Her work protecting the world, her dedication to going beyond the call of duty, and her legacy will forever be remembered."

After the coffin had been lowered and most of the people at the funeral had left, Steve and Sharon stood together over the grave. For a long while, Sharon was silent, staring down. Steve glanced at the black and white image of Peggy that was placed in front of the tombstone. It showed her when she was younger.

Back when he knew her.

"She was waiting for you, you know."

Steve looked over at Sharon.

"She waited so long. It was all for you. For a long time, I knew that was what was keeping her going. Hoping beyond hope that you would find your way back to her. And I resented her for that. For holding on to a dream rather than seeing what she had right in front of her."

Sharon sighed before she continued.

"But now I get it. I was doing the same thing. Holding on to a dream of having my old family back. I didn't see what I had right in front of me. Not until now. It's funny. I spent so many years wishing she would die. And now that she's gone, I would do anything for the chance to speak to her one last time. To make things right. What do I do now?"

"We'll keep going," said Steve. "For her. We'll heal. We'll move on. And I'm sure she'll be watching out for us."

Sharon gave him a warm smile in response.

"Come on," she said. "I've got something to show you."

* * *

Steve and Sharon walked together along the streets of New York. They had walked past the Captain America Monument, and she told him about how they were planning to turn it into a monument for all of the Avengers. She then led him down to another part of the city, and they laughed and talked the entire time.

Eventually, they turned a corner, and Sharon stood in front of Steve.

"Alright, I got a surprise for you."

"Oh? What would that be?"

Sharon then gestured to the side, and Steve looked at the establishment they were standing in front of. It was a restaurant club, with the name "Ron's" placed over the door. Steve took a step back in pure shock.

"What . . . .?"

Sharon giggled.

"Looked online. Ron's never closed, Steve. But at one point, the family had to move it to a different location, and they expanded it into a club. But it's still the same place."

Sharon then opened the door and held it open for Steve, allowing him to walk inside. He was instantly floored by the familiarity of the place. It was much larger than he remembered, due to being expanded to include a full bar and a dance floor on top of the restaurant section. But the decor was almost completely maintained.

There were plenty of people inside, with the place clearly being popular. A few seconds later, a man in his late twenties walked out from behind the bar.

"What'll it . . . . it can't be."

His eyes widened and he held his hands out at his sides.

"Steve Rogers!"

Steve smiled.

"Hello."

"Steve Rogers in my place!"

The man instantly held out his hand, and Steve shook it.

"Name's Roby. My Grandad told me all about you. About how he knew ya when you was just a skinny kid, you know, before the whole serum thing. Wow. Crazy. I'm amazed!"

"Honestly, I'm the one that's amazed," said Steve. "I thought Ron's was gone."

"Nah, we're still goin'. Went through a rough patch when my dad was running it, had to move, all that. But we've doing really good the last few years."

"Still make the same sandwiches?"

"Of course! Anything for you, my man!"

Steve and Sharon sat together as they ate their sandwiches. As Steve finished his off, he put on a wide smile. He sighed with relief as he looked around at all of the happy faces. People smiling, laughing, and sharing each other's stories. This was a world of good people, the same way his was.

"Hey."

Steve looked back at Sharon.

"So things aren't so bad in the future, huh?" she asked.

"No. There are still some good things from back in the day."

Steve then reached out and placed his hand on hers.

"And there's some good new things too."

Sharon laughed.

"You know, this is highly irregular," she said, putting on a smirk. "I mean, I'm not adverse to older men, but . . . . you're like a hundred years old, man."

"Heh. Kinda hard to find available women my age."

"And come on. You kinda dated my grandmother. That's . . . . eh."

Steve winced.

"Yeah," he said.

"Well, then I gotta ask one question," said Sharon. "Before we do anything else. You two. Did you guys, at any point, you know . . . . have sex?"

Steve cleared his throat, clearly nervous about being asked such a question.

"No."

"But you did make out."

"A little."

Sharon shrugged.

"Eh. I'll get over it."

A second later, a song that Steve had never heard started to play. However, Sharon instantly recognized it. It was the opening notes for Spandau Ballet's "True".

"Peggy told me that you and her had a song back in the day."

"We did."

"Think you and I could have a song?"

Sharon stood up and led Steve to the dance floor. They then started to dance, spending the whole time staring at each other and smiling. Steve moved his head to the beat of the song, and he remembered his first dance with Peggy back in the forties. And in that moment, and for the first time, he felt fully comfortable with his new life.

As the song came to an end, Steve and Sharon leaned in to each other. Their lips met, and for both of them, all was finally right in the world.

THE END

Captain America Will Return

* * *

Epilogue

Vasily Karpov sneered as he placed his key in the slot. After he turned it, the door slowly opened. He walked into the dark room, which had a single light in it. The light was shining down on a cryostasis chamber. Karpov stepped up to the console that was stationed next to the chamber. A green face then appeared on the computer monitor.

"Colonel Karpov."

"Doctor Zola," said Karpov. "Any news on the Zemo situation?"

"I've already informed the Baron that he is no longer a part of our organization. He has fled his mansion in the United States. A man of his wealth and resources will be able to hide himself from us, but not forever. But that is not why I have called you here today. I have already programmed a new mission into the mind of the asset. Release him."

"Right away."

Karpov tapped in his security code into the console. The cryostasis chamber then opened, revealing the figure inside. It was a man with a left arm that was made of metal. A red star was painted onto the shoulder. He was already wearing a black, tactical combat suit and a mask that covered the bottom half of his face.

Karpov stood in front of the man as he opened his eyes.

"You have a new mission," said Karpov. "Are you ready to serve?"

Bucky took in a breath.

"Winter Soldier. Ready to serve."


End file.
